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www.sla.org.uk volume 58 number 3 autumn 2010School LibrarianThe

Reporting on Reading

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The SL 58-3 Autumn 2010 129

Contents

Editorial 130Steve Hird

The Magic Threshold: Step into New Worlds –Report from the SLA Weekend Course 2010 131Steve Hird

Reporting on Reading: A Survey into the Reading Attitudes and Personal Reading Habits of Year 2 Children 133Michelle Austin and Biddy Casselden

Effective School Libraries: Evidence of Impact on StudentAchievement 136Lynn Barrett

What’s in a Name? National Non-Fiction Day 140Adam Lancaster

The Curriculum for Excellence: Knowledge, Engagement andContribution by Scottish School Librarians 142Christine Irving

Websites and ICT resources 146

Reviews editorial 152

Under Eight 153

Eight to Twelve 161

Poetry and Plays 173

Twelve to Sixteen 173

Sixteen to Nineteen 189

Professional 189

Index of advertisers 191

Index of books reviewed 192

Features

Reviews

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The

ict@SLA

Editorial

Cover photo: Michelle Austin

130 The SL 58-3 Autumn 2010

Features

EditorialWithout doubt we are living in very difficult times, and there will be thoseamong the readership of this journal whose own job security is very precariousright now. The School Librarian always aims to present a range of relevantfeature articles, as well as a more comprehensive book review section than anyother comparable journal, and a regular overview of new websites and otherICT resources, in order to support school librarians in their work. With this inmind, several of the articles featured in this edition are particularly pertinent asfinancial restrictions begin to bite, and hopefully they may be of some assistanceto librarians in re-stating the case for well resourced and well staffed libraries inour schools.

We start with a short resumé of the keynote speeches made at the recentWeekend Course, held at Nottingham University in June, on the theme ‘TheMagic Threshold: Step into New Worlds’. Please visit the SLA website where anumber of the presentations made may be found in full. Delegates delighted inthe wise words of Anthony Browne, Stephen Heppell, Henry Winkler, KevinSutherland and SLA President Miranda McKearney, as well as joining aselection of workshops and seminars, which are always the main practicalpurpose of the course.

Michelle Austin and Biddy Casselden have undertaken a survey into thereading habits, and attitudes to reading, of Year 2 children at an infant school inthe North East of England. Again, a fascinating and timely reminder of the vitalimportance of the work done in schools to encourage and develop youngreaders, and of the necessity to have staff who are enthusiastic andknowledgeable in the field of children’s literature and learning. Lynn Barrett hasprovided a comprehensive overview of the large body of recent research, both inthe UK and overseas, which demonstrates the link between effective schoollibraries and academic achievement. There was perhaps never a better time tohave such an overview to hand, and we are grateful to Lynn for her importantwork in this area.

It is perhaps surprising that there has never been a National Non Fiction Day.Well, there is now – or there will be soon – 4 November 2010 in fact. AdamLancaster, the founder of the event, shares his passion for non fiction and tellsus something of what to expect. If you want to know more, and to be involvedon the Big Day, read on. Lastly, Christine Irving writes about Scotland’s newCurriculum for Excellence, which by encompassing information literacy givesschool librarians an opportunity to be actively engaged in the new curriculum.She also reports on an associated survey which provides further evidence of theimpact of Scottish librarians who are actively involved in developing learners.

I hope, as always, that you will find your School Librarian informative and usefulto you in your vital work.

Steve Hird, Editor

ContributionsEditorial contributions should be sent to the Features Editor: Steve Hird, 7 Clifton Bank, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S60 2NA; Email: [email protected]

Articles for consideration are always welcome. The Editor is happy to receive enquiries from potential contributors and will be pleased to supply information about presentation.

Books and material for review should be sent by post to the Reviews Editor: Chris Brown, 43 Stonehouse Road, Liphook, Hampshire GU30 7DD

CD-ROMs for review should be sent to: Elspeth Scott, Menzieshill High School, Yarrow Terrace, Dundee DD2 4DW; Email: [email protected]

Advertising: Space Marketing, 10 Clayfield Mews, Newcomen Road, Tunbridge Wells, KentTN4 9PA Tel: 01892 677740; Fax: 01892 677743; Email: [email protected]

All other communications should be sent to the Production Editor: Richard Leveridge, School Library Association, Unit 2, Lotmead Business Village, Wanborough, Swindon SN4 0UYTel: 01793 791787; Fax: 01793 791786; Email: [email protected]

Published four times a year by the School Library Association:Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter; and printed byInformation Press, Oxford. Copyright © 2010 School LibraryAssociation. All rights reserved. ISSN 0036 6595.

The views expressed are those of the contributors andreviewers and not necessarily the official views of the School Library Association.

Registered Charity Nos. 313660 and SC039453.

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Features

While outlining the main points made by the keynote speakers at our annualweekend course, this summary makes no attempt at providing an overview ofthe weekend as a whole. A number of presentations made by speakers andworkshop leaders may be found on the SLA website: www.sla.org.uk

The beautiful campus of Nottingham University was thesetting for the 2010 weekend course, with the glorious weatheroutside hardly noticed by delegates in the air-conditioned

comforts of the East MidlandsConference Centre. As well asa wonderful array of speakersto hear and practicalworkshops to attend, theweekend was the occasion forthe launch of the SLA LibraryDesign Awards, sponsored byDemco Interiors. This excitingannual award is forinnovation, creativity andvibrancy in new or refurbishedschool libraries, and you can

read more about it on the SLA website.

Anthony Browne, Children’s Laureate, began proceedings witha flipchart and pen, a willing volunteer and an amorphousshape on the paper – the Shape Game. Any shape can be madeinto a picture, as he deftly demonstrated, describing his ownbooks as homages to the Shape Game. He skilfully remindedus of what we instinctively know but sometimes need to haveexplained, that young children are seeing the world for the firsttime, that this is hugely exciting to them, and that good picturebooks pick up this point, which is why they can be so powerfuland influential. We tend to drag children away from picturebooks too soon, a tendency that may have a correlation with‘reluctant’ readers, a factor in which librarians are well placedto intervene. Many of Anthony’s own picture books, of course,are certainly not for young children, and in illustrating theorigins and development of many of them – playing the ShapeGame with them – he captivated the audience.

Stephen Heppell is Professor of New Media Environments atBournemouth University. He travels the world advising toorganisations about new ways forward for learning andlearning environments, and giving inspirational talks like thisone. At the heart of learning will always be libraries, but notnecessarily as we know them today. He invited us to questionour instincts and assumptions about libraries, and to believethat libraries are the prototype of 21st century, out-of-the-boxand out-of-the-classroom learning styles. He urged us to trustchildren ‘without their stabilisers’, to let them go, and withexamples of educational initiatives that are doing just that,such as ‘superclasses’ of 100+ students on crash courseslearning subjects up to GCSE level in one month, he was ableto show how they can astonish us with their levels ofachievement. The ‘metbefore’ curriculum does notprepare students for theunexpected and is nopreparation for the realworld. Libraries, on theother hand, are full of theunexpected, and as such arevital for the development ofcritical reasoning, ingenuity,and scholarship. ProfessorHeppell’s address left thislistener feeling breathlesswith the number and range of thought-provoking ideas thatwere floated. None more so than the modest claim that ‘wecan mend the world with learning’. Let’s get cracking then.

After a much-needed lie down to recover from all that, and adelicious evening meal, Henry Winkler – The Fonz of fondmemory, from 1970s and 80s American TV sitcom HappyDays – amused, delighted and moved us with his personalstory of an unhappy childhood, growing up with severereading difficulties, devising schemes to avoid being found outat school, and with low self-esteem stalking him intoadulthood. Not until the age of 31 was he diagnosed as

The Magic Threshold:

Step into New Worlds

Report from the SLA WeekendCourse 2010

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dyslexic. Now he writes funny books in which the maincharacter, Hank Zipzer, is modelled on himself, in the hopethat his own experience might help others with dyslexia. Hiscampaigning work on behalf of children with dyslexia, as wellas his best-selling Hank Zipzer books, may turn out to be alonger-lasting legacy than The Fonz.

Saturday is always the meatypart of the weekend course,the day when delegates gotheir different ways into theirchosen optional workshopsand seminars. But beforescattering, they had theopportunity this year to hearthe funny and irrepressiblecomic strip cartoonist KevinSutherland, and to see himcreate a comic strip beforeour very eyes, interacting

with his audience to create the scary ‘Fabio Meets a Worm’(well, it was the middle of the World Cup and England werestill in it). Kevin works in schools of all ages, reachingotherwise unresponsive children by getting them to draw andwrite comic strips. ’A great reading form, and an additionallearning tool’, he claimed – undeniably so, when in the handsof a skilled practitioner like him.

After the SLA AGM on Sunday, our president, MirandaMcKearney, Director of The Reading Agency, presented asummary of recent research into children’s reading. The ArtsCouncil has been looking into the value people attach toreading and barriers to it, while the National Literacy Trusthas investigated the importance of self-perception in readers.Both these areas lead to the consideration of how to encouragechildren to recognise themselves as readers, the importance ofrole models, and the realisation of the link between readingand success. On writing, The NLT has shown that while on asimple reckoning, levels have not improved since 2006,nevertheless 75% of children write regularly, 56% have a socialnetwork profile, and 24% have their own blog – ‘outside thebox’ again. The Power of Reading Project by the Centre forLiteracy in Primary Education confirms the importance ofmotivation and enjoyment, and of teachers’ confidence,creativity and knowledge of literature, while the UKLATeachers as Readers Project demonstrates the importance of agood relationship between practitioners (including librarians)and readers – which could be useful ammunition for schoollibrarians in the difficult days ahead. Miranda’s ownorganisation, the Reading Agency, has done much work withlocal authorities to build links between school and publiclibraries, and through projects such as the Headspace

programme has worked to involve young people in thedevelopment and running of library facilities. Children’s bookissues in public libraries have risen for the last five years, incontrast to adult borrowing – this trend must be tapped andlevels of interest maintained. Partnerships between school andpublic libraries can achieve much – the Summer ReadingChallenge is an obvious andwell-established model,with research now showingthe high regard in whichschools hold the scheme forthe way it helps to maintainreading enthusiasm andproficiency through theholiday period – whilecurriculum support, jointauthor events, CPD, jointservices to the communityare among other areas fordevelopment.

And so the end came and delegates departed, enthused andreinvigorated, having crossed the ‘magic threshold’ and‘stepped into new worlds’. Which is more than can be said forthe England football team, who crashed out of the World Cupthe very same day.

■ Steve Hird is Features Editor of TSL.


Features

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The next SLA Weekend Course runs on 24–25 June 2011at Wyboston Lakes Conference Centre, Bedfordshire.Make a note in your diary now!

Nominations for the inaugural SLA Library Design Awardsponsored by Demco Interiors are now open, with theAward to be presented in 2011 alongside the SLA’sprestigious School Librarian of the Year Award. Seeenclosed Nomination Form or go to http://www.sla.org.uk/library-design-awards

Photography: Lesley Martin


Features

Background

Good reading ability is the key to success in school (Swalanderand Taube, 2007) and reading is an important factor in manylanguage and cognitive skills and in the development ofgeneral knowledge and vocabulary (Logan and Johnston,2009). However, despite widespread efforts to prevent readingproblems, reading continues to be exceptionally difficult formany pupils (Martinez, Aricak and Jewell, 2008).

Understanding the role of attitude in developing readers isimportant for two main reasons. Firstly, attitude may affect thelevel of ability eventually attained by pupils, through itsinfluence on engagement and practice (Adam and Wild, 1997).Secondly, even for confident readers, poor attitude may lead toa choice not to read when other options exist, a conditionknown as aliteracy (McKenna, Kear and Ellsworth, 1995).Consequently, teachers cannot afford to ignore the attitudes ofpupils since these are often important in the attainment ofreading skills and in the continued use of reading forinformation and recreation (Alexander and Filler, 1976).

The aim of this study was to establish the reading attitudes andpersonal reading habits of Year 2 children in an attempt toassess how one impacts on the other. Factors that have beenshown to affect children’s attitudes towards reading includeage, achievement, gender, reading materials, home influencesand the role of teachers, and several of these areas wereexamined in the study.

Methodology

The research was conducted within the post-positivismresearch paradigm, using a survey method (Pickard, 2007).Quantitative data was obtained about reading attitudes andreading habits by administering a questionnaire to an entireYear 2 class at one school in the North East of England, a totalof 51 children (26 boys and 25 girls). The questionnairecontained questions relating to attitudes to reading at homeand school, along with reading frequency, the types ofmaterials read, the support children received from significantothers and their attitudes towards this, and reading on theinternet.

Qualitative data was also collected from three teachers (aliteracy co-ordinator and two Year 2 class teachers) using face-to-face, semi-structured interviews, in order to establish theiropinions and feeling towards assessing reading attitudes andreading habits and to give a better understanding of thepractices used in schools.

Results

The findings from this study reveal that the majority ofchildren have positive attitudes towards reading. In respect ofattitudes towards reading at home, the mean figures revealthat 68.65% of children feel positively about this, comparedwith 31.4% who gave negative responses. However, there weresome interesting results within the questions. Although 92.2%of the children felt very positively about reading for fun athome, when asked how they felt about reading in the holidaysand reading instead of playing, this fell to 51% and 39.2%respectively, supporting McKenna’s (1994) theory that as moreleisure options compete with reading in school holidays, orwhen there is a choice between reading and playing, eventhough children may view reading as pleasurable, otheractivities may be viewed as more so.

In respect of reading at school, 80.7% of children had a positiveresponse to academic reading. Interviews showed that theteachers felt their role was vital in fostering the developmentof a positive attitude towards reading in children. Commentsincluded:

‘It’s the foundation of a good reader – having a positiveattitude towards reading. We begin with those steps andmodel how to be a good reader in terms of enjoyment, beforewe start to focus on reading skills.’

All the teachers viewed a positive attitude as more or equallyimportant as the development of reading skills. Thiscontradicts the findings of some researchers that emphasis onenhancing reading proficiency ignores the role played byattitude (Lever-Chain, 2008). The teachers listed a wide rangeof initiatives undertaken to promote reading in school, and the

Reporting on Reading

A Survey into the Reading Attitudesand Personal Reading Habits of Year 2 Children

by Michelle Austin and Biddy Casselden

Michelle AustinBiddy Casselden


Features

enthusiasm and commitment of the teachers in this areaappears to be paying dividends in encouraging the children’spositive attitude development.

One of the main findings of the study was the lack of genderdifferences that were found in other research, which generallysuggest that girls have significantly more positive attitudestowards reading than boys (Askov and Fischbach, 1973).Overall, scores for boys revealed that 68.25% had positiveattitudes towards reading at home, compared with 69% ofgirls. Indeed, boys (82.08%) had slightly more positiveattitudes towards school reading than girls (78.81%), althoughthis was not significant. However, the results do concur withthe findings of Mortimore et al. (1988) that gender differenceswere not seen in Years 1 and 2 and only became noticeable inYear 3.

Discussions with teachers revealed that although they agreedthat there was a general assumption that girls had morepositive attitudes towards reading than boys, they felt that thiswas not necessarily true. Two teachers commented that it wasmore a question of finding the right things for boys to read.McKenna, Kear and Ellsworth (1995) pointed out that gender-specific beliefs concerning what others expect may explaindifferences in reading attitudes of boys and girls. However, asthe teachers in this school do not appear to subscribe to thisview, this could explain why boys exhibit such positiveattitudes in this sample. Another teacher stated thatsometimes it might be the background of the child, rather thantheir gender, that influences them and therefore you’ve ‘got tolook at the child, not just the gender issue.’

A further explanation for the very positive attitudes found inboys in this study was that in the recent past the school hadexperienced issues due to a gender imbalance in the school,with two-thirds of the children being boys. Consequently, theschool placed a great deal of focus upon boys’ reading andtook steps to address their needs by purchasing a greatervariety of reading materials to appeal to them. As McKenna,Kear and Ellsworth (1995, p.952) explain ‘encouraging apositive image of reading in the minds of boys may tend tooffset the gender effect’ and it appears that the teachers in thisschool may have successfully achieved this.

In respect of where children do most of their reading, anoverwhelming 80.4% said home, whilst only 19.6% said school.This figure is reassuring as it seems to suggest that childrenare engaging in reading outside school. A greater percentage ofgirls claimed to do more reading at home (88%) compared toboys (73.1%). This could be related to the fact that girls haveslightly more positive attitudes towards reading at home than

boys. It could also be that internet use and playing computergames is particularly prevalent in boys (Smith, 2004), whichmay be competing for their time.

In terms of how often the children read at home, 66.7% ofchildren read every day or most days. However, a third ofchildren do little or no reading at home, which is particularlyconcerning. Additionally, only about half of the children couldconfidently answer that they were read to at home. However,more encouragingly, 84% of children did say that a grown-upat home listened to them read and therefore the children doappear to receive support for their reading, although this studyalso found no significant relationship between the supportreceived at home and the frequency of reading undertaken.

All of the teachers felt very strongly that the home backgroundwas very influential for a child’s reading habits and ability andthey tried very hard to work in partnership with parents tosupport their child’s reading. Initiatives included literacy openmornings and family learning, with the aim of promoting afun-based approach to reading and giving parents ideas to useat home. However, it must be remembered that a child’s homebackground is hard to influence and teachers can only do somuch in attempting to get parents on board. As one teachercommented:

‘It’s really hard as a teacher to develop skills and attitudes ifparents don’t see it as a priority.’

School factors can be easier to address and the teachers in thisstudy appear to be working successfully to influence these.

In terms of where children get the books from that they read athome, the study showed that the majority of children haveaccess to their own books at home and encouragingly, overhalf of the children questioned used the library. 43.1% ofchildren read online, although it is not clear exactly what typesof material they are reading.

Children’s favourite types of reading materials are story books(28%), comics (22%), finding-out books (20%), magazines(16%), newspapers (8%) and poetry (6%). The findings doreveal differences in the types of materials children read athome, compared with school, mainly in respect of comics andmagazines. However, the literacy co-ordinator stated that shewas looking to equip the school library with comic books,football programmes, sports magazines and High SchoolMusical books, showing an awareness of the materials thatchildren are interested in. She explained that children areconsulted about the books they would like, supporting Clarkand Foster’s (2005) view that an effective approach is to givepupils an opportunity to select and purchase reading materialsfor classrooms. The study revealed gender differences inreading preferences and interestingly, finding-out books,which are often associated with boys, scored more highlyamongst girls. Teachers believed this could be due to theprevious school focus on boys’ reading and the materialsacquired to support this.

This child-centred approach to the reading materials used inschool could explain why the children are so positive aboutreading at school and appears to dispel the notion thateducators believe that they must exert control over thematerials that are available for school reading or feel underpressure to provide and use quality literature in the classroom(Sainsbury and Schagen, 2004). The teachers have a positiveattitude towards all types of reading matter and avoid limiting


Featuresthe children to certain resources.As one teacher commented:

‘I don’t have a problem becauseI think that if it is getting themreading then it’s better thanthem not reading at all.’

The teachers confirmed thatthere is no formal assessment ofreading attitudes or readinghabits in children, althoughthese are assessed informally,and there appears to be moreemphasis on formally assessing

reading skills. However, the teachers appear to have a goodknowledge of the children in their care, mainly obtained byquestioning the children and encouraging communicationwith parents via reading record books. As the children’sattitudes are so positive, it could be argued these informalassessments are sufficient in providing the information neededby teachers. Nevertheless, if there is no formal assessment, itdoes raise the question of how teachers can check howsuccessful their strategies have been in improving children’sattitudes to reading (Francis, 1997) and exactly what types ofreading materials are preferred by certain children.

Overall, the results reveal that there is a strong positive andsignificant correlation relationship between reading attitudesat home and the frequency of reading, with the more positivethe attitude towards reading at home, the more often childrenread at home. However, no relationship was found in this studybetween attitudes towards reading at school and the frequencyof reading at home. It is clear that the teachers in this studyplace great emphasis on children establishing positive attitudestowards reading and their role in assisting with this. They doconsider children’s reading attitudes in curriculum planningand undertake many activities specifically to encourage these,with a considerable degree of success.

It is hoped that this study has provided a useful insight into thereading attitudes and reading habits of Year 2 children.However, the researchers acknowledge that the findings doonly apply to one school, at one point in time. The smallsample size may have limited the study and the extent to whichthese findings can be generalized to other settings cannot beascertained without additional research. Further studiesshould examine the research aims with a larger and morediverse population, in terms of backgrounds, abilities and ages,perhaps employing a qualitative element to gain a deeperunderstanding of children’s’ attitudes. Additionally,longitudinal research would provide a valuable insight intohow beliefs and attitudes towards reading change as childrenmove through the primary years (McKenna, Kear andEllsworth, 1995).

Although it is merely a starting point, it is hoped that theresults can be used to enhance children’s attitudes towardsreading which is particularly important since:

‘Encouraging the love of reading is a vitally important prioritythat has positive consequences for our students’ literacygrowth, both now and in the future. Teachers andadministrators who embrace this... will help develop futuregenerations of citizens who not only are able to read but alsowant to read.’ (Sanacore, 2006, p.37)

Acknowledgements

The research was conducted as part of Michelle Austin’s dissertation forthe award of MA in Information and Library Management at NorthumbriaUniversity. It was funded by an award from the Arts and HumanitiesResearch Council.

References

Adam, N. & Wild, M. (1997) ‘Applying CD-ROM interactive storybooks tolearning to read’, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 13, pp. 119-132.Alexander, J. E. & Filler, R. C. (1976) Attitudes and reading. Delaware:International Reading Association. Askov, E. N. & Fishbach, T. J. (1973) ‘An investigation of primary pupils’ attitudestoward reading’, Journal of Experimental Education, 41 (3), pp. 1-7 PeriodicalsArchive Online [Online]. Available at:http://pao.chadwyck.co.uk/PDF/1244215030475.pdf (Accessed: 5 June 2009).Clark, C & Foster, A. (2005) Children and young people’s reading habits andpreferences: the who, what, why, where and when. London: National LiteracyTrust. Available at:http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/Research/Reading_Connects_survey.pdf(Accessed: 23 May 2009).Francis, H. (1997) ‘Teaching beginning reading: a case for monitoring feelingsand attitudes?’ Reading, 31 (1), pp. 5-8.Lever-Chain, J. (2008) ‘Turning boys off? Listening to what five-year-olds sayabout reading’, Literacy, 42 (2), pp. 83-91.Logan, S. & Johnston, R. (2009) ‘Gender differences in reading ability andattitudes: examining where these differences lie’, Journal of Research in Reading,32 (2), pp. 199-214 Wiley Interscience [Online]. Available at:http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/117986938/home?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 (Accessed: 24 May 2009). Martinez, R. S., Aricak, O. T. & Jewell, J. (2008) ‘Influences of reading attitude onreading achievement: a test of the temporal-interaction model’, Psychology in theSchools, 45 (10), pp. 1010-1022 Wiley Interscience [Online]. Available at:http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/home (Accessed: 1 March 2009).McKenna, M. C. (1994) ‘Toward a model of reading attitude acquisition’, inCramer, E. H. & Castle, M. (ed.) Fostering the love of reading: the affectivedomain in reading education.Delaware: International Reading Association, pp.18-40.McKenna, M. C., Kear, D. J. & Ellsworth, R. A. (1995) ‘Children’s attitudestoward reading: a national survey’, Reading Research Quarterly, 30 (4), pp. 934-956.Mortimore, P., Sammons, P., Stoll, L., Lewis, D. & Ecob R. (1988) School matters:the junior years. Somerset: Open Books.Pickard, A. J. (2007) Research methods in information. London: Facet Publishing.Sainsbury, M. & Schagen, I. (2004) ‘Attitudes to reading at ages nine and eleven:National Foundation for Educational Resarch’, Journal of Research in Reading, 27(4), pp. 373-386. Wiley InterScience [Online]. Available at:http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/117986938/home?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 (Accessed: 1 March 2009).Sanacore, J. (2006) ‘Nurturing lifetime readers’, Childhood Education, 83 (1), pp.33-37 Infotrac [Online]. Available at:http://find.galegroup.com/itx/paginate.do?qrySerId=Locale%28en%2CUS%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28JN%2CNone%2C21%29%22Childhood+Education%22%3AAnd%3ALQE%3D%28DA%2CNone%2C8%2920060922%24&inPS=true&sort=DateDescend&searchType=PublicationSearchForm&tabID=T002&prodId=SPJ.SP01&searchId=R1&userGroupName=unn&currentPosition=21 (Accessed: 30March 2009).Smith, S. (2004) ‘The non-fiction reading habits of young successful boy readers:forming connections between masculinity and reading’, Literacy, 38 (1), pp. 10-16.Swalander, L. & Taube, K. (2007) ‘Influences of family-base prerequisites,reading attitude, and self-regulation on reading ability’, ContemporaryEducational Psychology, 32, pp. 206-230 ScienceDirect [Online]. Available at:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=HomePageURL&_method=userHomePage&_lg=Y&_acct=C000010138&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=7374795&md5=730a0dfbcf5b133255f48c8daa2f3111 (Accessed: 11 March 2009).

■ Michelle Austin BA (Hons), MA is a former NorthumbriaUniversity student. Biddy Casselden BA (Hons) is SeniorLecturer/ProgrammeLeader in Information and LibraryManagement by Distance Learning at Northumbria University.


Features

There must be very few school librarians today who are notaware of the considerable number of studies, particularly in theUSA, that show a positive correlation between an effectiveschool library and academic achievement. However, in ourvery busy days, it is not always easy to track down the researchand analyse what it means in terms of our own practice. Overthe past several months I have had the opportunity to do justthat and, although none of what I shall summarise here is new,hopefully it will be useful to have it pulled together in oneplace.

Before delving into facts and figures, it is important to definewhy we need empirical evidence of the effectiveness of schoollibraries. Most discussions about them start from the positionthat they are a good thing, therefore they must be supported.However, for any argument to hold water, the starting pointmust instead be the needs of today’s students in today’seducational landscape. From there it is necessary to unpickhow the school library contributes to the fulfilment of thoseneeds and then to underpin the resulting conclusions withresearch evidence.

The characteristics of 21st century education have beenarticulated by many and continue to evolve. However, in orderto achieve within this developing context and beyond, it isaccepted that students need:

■ Reading literacy

■ Information literacy

■ Technological literacy

■ Skills for personal knowledge building

■ Oral literacy and numeracy

Research evidence from the USA, Canada and Australia showsthat where school libraries are resourced effectively andmanaged by a qualified librarian with educational expertise, allof the above are fostered and student academic achievementon standardised tests is higher than in schools where theseconditions do not exist. Studies over the last 50 years havesupported this conclusion, but increasing numbers ofinvestigations and improved methodology over the pastdecade have brought new credence and immediacy to thispositive relationship. While Australia and Canada have eachconducted one substantial impact study and several smallerones, since 2000 nineteen major studies have been completedacross the United States. They are largely based on aquantitative research model developed by Keith Curry Lance,originally conducted in Colorado in 1993 and again in 2000.An important alternative approach was taken by Dr. Ross Toddin Ohio in 2004 where qualitative information was gatheredfrom students and faculty. All of this research is summarised inSchool Libraries Work!,1 and the information below from the

USA, unless otherwise stated, is taken from that document. Itis important to note that the research methodology in all ofthese studies allowed for socio-economic issues and the resultsare not explained away by:

■ Parents’ lack of education

■ Poverty

■ Minority status

■ Teacher-pupil ratio

■ Per-pupil expenditure.

In identifying effective school library programmes, all of thestudies assumed the presence of a qualified school librarian. Inthe USA, school librarians are generally known as schoollibrary media specialists and are granted credentials inindividual states to fill the role of school librarians. Many statesrequire a dual qualification in teaching and librarianship, andthose that do not require instead a master’s degree inlibrarianship with a specialisation in education. In Canada andAustralia, teacher-librarians are dually qualified. In the UK,librarians qualify with a bachelor’s degree and there is nospecialist route for school librarians. An expertise in educationmust be acquired on the job and through CPD. Regardless ofroute, all school librarians need to:

■ Be highly qualified professionals

■ Be learning specialists

■ Work collaboratively with teachers

■ Be information mediators

■ Teach the skills of information literacy within the context ofthe curriculum

■ Be reading experts

■ Inspire, encourage, create, and model high quality learningexperiences

■ Be leaders in schools, regarded on a par with teachingcolleagues.

With all of this in mind, an examination of the research bytheme, rather than by geographical region, may prove helpful.The following will look first at the impact of school libraries onreading, then on overall achievement, and finally at the impactof four factors that are key to achieving an effective schoollibrary. These are:

■ Professional librarian with educational expertise

■ Information literacy teaching

■ Integration into the curriculum through librarian / teachercollaboration

■ Support of heads and policy makers.

Effective School Libraries

Evidence of Impact on StudentAchievement

by Lynn Barrett


FeaturesIssues of stock, spending, access and planning are also key andfeature in the survey carried out by Information ManagementAssociates in collaboration with the School Libraries Group ofCILIP and published on 20 July 2010. Key findings include thegreater likelihood that professionally qualified librarians will bemore integrated into the school management structure thanthose who are not, that where there is a Schools LibraryService it makes a positive difference to the effectiveness of theschool library, and, worryingly but unsurprisingly, there is ageneral trend for school library budgets to be shrinking.

Reading

OECD

In 2000, an OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operationand Development) survey of 265,000 students in 35 countriesshowed a consistent relationship between reading enjoymentand higher student achievement.2 We all know that studentsneed to be able to read in order to be successful, but the factthat enjoyment is significant will be new to many in education.The survey showed it to have positive associations not onlywith literacy but with maths and science results as well. Thestudy also showed that reading enjoyment is more importantfor children’s educational success than their family’s socio-economic status.

Canada

In 2006 the province of Ontario conducted research with 50,000students in over 800 publicly-funded elementary schools.3 Thepresence of a teacher-librarian in these schools was the singlestrongest predictor of reading enjoyment. Also, schools withteacher-librarians were shown to have higher reading scores by8%. In the OECD survey of 2000, Canada was one of the highestscoring nations for reading enjoyment, but the Ontario studyshowed that over the period from 2001 to 2006 there was asteady decline in reported reading enjoyment. This wasmirrored by a decline in the number of teacher-librarians duringthe same period due to cuts in funding.

USA

Delaware, 2005: Students in grades 3 – 5 saw the school libraryas strongly helping them to enjoy reading more.

Michigan, 2003: In elementary schools with the highestreading scores, teachers and students were four times as likelyto visit the library on a flexible basis, compared to the lowestscoring schools.

Minnesota, 2003: 66.8% of schools with the highest readingtest scores in grades 3 – 8 (ages 8 – 13) were where thelibrarian worked full time. Reading achievement was alsorelated to increased school library programme spending.

North Carolina, 2003: School library programmes inelementary, middle and high schools had a significant impacton standardised reading and English tests.

Pennsylvania, 2003: The relationship between adequatestaffing – at least one full-time credentialed school librarianand one full-time support staff – and reading scores was bothpositive and statistically significant.

Australia, 2006 4

In a replica of the Ohio study led by Dr. Ross Todd, 81.1% ofstudents in 46 schools across Queensland and Victoria said

that the library had contributed to their progress in readingand 81.4% indicated that the library helped them to enjoyreading.

Overall Achievement

USA

Delaware, 2005: 98.2% of students were helped in theirlearning process by the school library when they had access toa full-time school librarian, information literacy instruction,flexible scheduling and networked ICT.

Missouri, 2003: Students in schools with effective schoollibrary programmes score 10.6% higher than those in schoolswithout effective school libraries.

New Mexico, 2002: Achievement test scores rise with thedevelopment of school library programmes.

Ohio, 2004: Todd’s qualitative study of 13,123 students aged 8to 18 from 39 schools revealed 99.4% of them believe thelibrary and its services help them to become better learners. Inaddition, 879 faculty members saw the school library as key tolearning.5

Texas, 2001: Library collections, staffing, technology andinteraction with teachers and students all have a positiveassociation with Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TASS)at elementary, middle / junior high and high school levels.

Wisconsin, 2006: The impact of library media programmesexplained a positive variance of 7.9% to 19% in reading andlanguage arts performance at the high school level.

Canada

In addition to the positive reading results mentioned above inthe 2006 Ontario study, reading enjoyment was strongly linkedto overall student achievement.

Australia6

Students saw a clear link between the input of the schoollibrary and the grades they were awarded on projects andassignment work. 84.1% indicated that the school library hadhelped them learn how to work independently and over 90%said the library had helped them do their school work better.In all areas of this research, the impact of the school libraryand the librarian were higher in years 5 and 6 (10 to 12 yearolds) than they were in years 11 and 12. Suggested reasons forthis finding could be that skills are embedded in early yearsand practised independently in later years and that a crowdedcurriculum in later years leads to fewer opportunities forinquiry learning. This could lead to a strong argument that agreater emphasis on primary school libraries needs to bemade.

Key Elements of Effective School Libraries

A. Professional school librarians

USA

A summary of the research shows that achievement scores rise10% - 20% when:

• Number of professional librarians and support staff increase

• Quality information flows from the library into classroomsand homes


Features• Sustaining budgets keep the information rich environment

current and of high quality

• School librarians promote reading

• School librarians collaborate with teachers

• School librarians teach information literacy

• School librarians are leaders in their schools.

Canada

In the 2006 Ontario study, the presence of a teacher-librarianwas the single strongest predictor of reading enjoyment. At alllevels, the research showed that the presence of a teacher-librarian correlated with improved student achievement inreading scores.

Australia

In the 2004 – 2005 study that replicated Todd’s qualitativeOhio study, 99.4% of respondents (6,676) indicated that schoollibrary services, including the teacher-librarian, helped themwith their learning both in and outside of school

England

In 2004, Ofsted surveyed 32 primary and secondary schoollibraries.7 Inspectors observed that the best school librarianshad a positive impact both on teaching and on studentlearning. ‘The impact of a knowledgeable and well qualifiedlibrarian on all aspects of the service, including the quality ofthe stock, should not be underestimated.’ (p 18)

In 2001, Williams and Wavell produced a report for Re:Source,the Council of Museums, Libraries and Archives, which hadbeen commissioned by the DfES to look at the impact ofschool libraries on student learning.8 The report noted that inEngland, pre-service training and CPD for both teachers andlibrarians should be considered to further both groups’understanding of learning in libraries. The report also notedthe reluctance of many school librarians in England to engagein an instructional role and the delivery of information literacy.While some embraced this aspect of their work, others didnot. Although this research is now dated and more emphasishas been placed on this aspect of a school librarian’s work inrecent years, it should not be ignored. It is still clear thatschool librarians in the UK are not required to haveeducational training and some are not able to access, forreasons of support or funding, CPD opportunities that cangive them the curricular and pedagogical expertise that theyneed.

B. Information literacy teaching

USA – in addition to the summary above:

Alaska, 2000: The more often students receivedlibrary/information literacy instruction from library mediaspecialists, the higher their test scores.

Ohio: One aim of the 2004 Ohio study by Todd study was tounpick the school library’s role in knowledge building. Studentresponses made clear that they saw the library as a dynamicrather than a passive source of support, teaching them how toconduct research effectively through:• Identifying key ideas• Evaluating, analysing and synthesising information• Developing personal conclusions

‘The study shows that an effective school library, led by acredentialed school librarian who has a clearly defined role ininformation-centered pedagogy, plays a critical role infacilitating student learning for building knowledge.’ 9

New Jersey, 2006:10 A study of how students learn through alibrary based guided inquiry unit revealed two levels ofresearch outcomes. The first was an additive approach inwhich students sought more and more facts and their outputremained at a descriptive level. The second was an integratedapproach in which students were able to synthesise, buildexplanations, draw conclusions and reflect. While the latter isat a higher level, which may be down to student ability orassignment construction, both approaches led to greatersubject knowledge and students’ perceptions that they knewmore as they progressed through the unit.

Australia, 2004–2005:

In the Queensland and Victoria studies,11 the school librarywas identified as helping students to develop a focus anddefine learning tasks. Assistance with concept mappingsoftware was particularly noted as helpful. Also, the teacher-librarian was instrumental in developing students’ searchstrategies and teaching them how to select relevantinformation, learn to synthesise and acknowledge sources.Older students noted the importance of the library and theteacher-librarian in more advanced skill development andtheir resultant deeper understanding of curriculum content.

Canada, 2002:

Public Libraries in Edmonton reported that the decline ofschool libraries and teacher-librarian posts was resulting in a30% increase in public library circulation, but that studentswere exhibiting a significant decline in research skills.12

England, 2004:

Ofsted Inspectors observed a great deal of information literacyteaching. However, the quality of many of the sessions waspoor. The lessons were superficial and not integrated into thecurriculum. The survey found many weaknesses in students’understanding of effective use of information. ‘This limitedtheir achevement in reading and, more generally, in learningacross subjects’. Crucially, inspectors concluded:

• Schools did not think carefully enough about the skillspupils would need to continue with their studies beyondschool, either in further and higher education or in theworkplace. Stronger provision needed to be made forindependent research and learning.13

C. Collaboration

USA

Ohio: A study undertaken through Kent State University over athree year period, 2003–2005, looked at the impact ofinstructional collaborations between classroom teachers andschool librarians.14 Benefits for both parties were listed asdevelopment of professional skills and a more profound insightinto pedagogical processes. Teachers noted greater under -standing of information literacy skills and an appreciation oflibrary resources. Students were motivated and focused,learned the content and improved their information literacyskills.


FeaturesIndiana, 2007: In 2006, 293 school library media specialists, 99principals and 422 teachers responded to surveys in TheIndiana Study by Lance, et al.15 Results showed that bothelementary and high schools averaged better test results when:• Teachers and librarians collaborated and were both familiar

with the state document16 that correlates information literacyand academic standards

• Principals valued the librarians and teachers saw them asfellow teachers.

Colorado, 2000: Elementary school students with the mostcollaborative teacher-librarians scored 21% higher onstatewide reading tests than those with the least collaborativeteacher-librarians.

England, 2004

Ofsted Inspectors noted that none of the schools observed feltthat they were successful in involving all subjects incollaborative work with the school librarian in deliveringinformation literacy skills. Collaboration was left to a pro-active librarian and interested departments. Senior managerswere not sufficiently involved in making this happen.

D. Support from Senior Managers and PolicyMakers

All of the research studies noted above found that the supportof head teachers was crucial to the development of effectiveschool libraries at all levels. Government policy makers alsoplayed a huge role in establishing standards andrecommending good practice that guided schools to committo development.

Conclusion

In conclusion, several things need to be done to improve thedevelopment of school libraries in the UK. Librarians need tobe trained to become school librarians, well versed inpedagogy and curricula. Only by developing an expertise inthe educational arena will they be able to collaboratesuccessfully with teachers, be valued as leaders in their schoolsand fulfill their potential to contribute to the academic successof their students. Teachers need to receive training about theskills of information literacy and the techniques of effectiveinquiry learning where students are challenged to engage withthe glut of sources available to them, and to question, select,analyse and synthesise until they are able to discern paths tonew understandings and knowledge construction.

Claims have been made that the research presented here is notapplicable in England. However, an analysis of the data fromthe Ohio study and its replica in Australia, shows only a fewpercentile points difference in student responses to the 48questions posed. This is despite curricular, pedagogical andcultural differences and would suggest that the conclusions ofthese studies are relevant to English education and should beconsidered seriously in the planning of future developments.

Underpinning all of the above are heads and policy makerswho need a vision of what effective school libraries can do forthe education of our young people. Headteachers need to bemade aware of the impact effective programmes can make onstudent achievement through spotlighting school libraries attheir conferences and through their own training. Policymakers need more UK research to inform them and to givethem substantive reasons to encourage development.

Armed with the evidence of international research, we can allhold meaningful conversations within our schools and worktowards developing the vision that we know is achievable.Hopefully the findings of the School Library Commission, tobe published in the autumn of 2010, and the results of currentUK research, will help to chart a path forward and actions canbe implemented that will bring about effective school libraryprogrammes in all of our schools.

References

1 School Libraries Work! Research Foundation Paper. 3rd edition.Scholastic Library Publishing, 2008. http://www2.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/s/slw3_2008.pdf2 OECD (2002). Reading for Change: Performance and Engagement AcrossCountries. Results from PISA 2000. New York: Organisation for EconomicCooperation and Development.http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/43/54/33690904.pdf3 Klinger, Donald. (2006). School Libraries and Student Achievement inOntario (Canada). Toronto, CA: Ontario Library Association.http://www.accessola.com/data/6/rec_docs/137_eqao_pfe_study_2006.Pdf4 Hay, Lyn. Student Learning Through Australian School Libraries: Part 1:A Statistical Analysis of Student Perceptions. Synergy, Volume 3, Number2, 2006 p. 17-30.http://www.slav.schools.net.au/synergy/vol3num2/hay.pdf5 Todd, Ross J. Student learning though Ohio school libraries. OLEMA,2004. http://www.oelma.org/StudentLearning/documents/OELMAResearchStudy8page.pdf6 Hay, Part One7 OFSTED. Good school libraries: making a difference to learning. 2006.http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Browse-all-by/Education/Leadership/Governance/Good-school-libraries-making-a-difference-to-learning8 Williams, Dorothy and Wavell, Caroline. Impact of school libraryservices on achievement and learning. Re:source, 2001.http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Browse-all-by/Education/Leadership/Governance/Good-school-libraries-making-a-difference-to-learning9 Todd, Ross, J. ‘Student Learning Through Ohio School Libraries: ASummary of the Ohio Research Study’. Presented to the Ohio EducationalLibrary Media Association, December 15, 2003.www.oelma.org/studentlearning.htm 10 Todd, Ross, J. ‘From Information to Knowledge: Charting andMeasuring Changes in Students’ Knowledge of a Curriculum Topic’.Information Research, vol 11, no. 4, July 2006.http://www.informationr.net/ir/11-4/paper264html 11 Hay, Lyn. Student Learning Through Australian School Libraries: Part2: What Students Define and Value as School Library Support. Synergy,Volume 4, Number 2, 2007, p. 27-38.http://www.slav.schools.net.au/synergy/vol4num2/hay_pt2.pdf12 Klinger.13 OFSTED, p. 1814 Heinstrom, Jennica and Paulette Kerr. The ABCDE of Teacher-SchoolLibrarian Collaboration: Advances, Barriers, Challenges, Directions,Enablers. CISSL/ILILE, Multiple Faces of Collaboration 2007 SPRINGRESEARCH SYMPOSIUM.http://www.ilile.org/events/SpringSymposium/index.html15 Lance, Keith Curry, Marcia J. Rodney and Becky Russell. How Students,Teachers and Principals Benefit from Strong School Libraries: The IndianaStudy – 2007. Indianapolis, IN: Association for Indiana Media Educators.www.ilfonlineorg/AIME/INfinalreportNextSteps.pdf 16 Indiana Department of Education. Indiana Standards and Resources:Correlation of the Library Information Literacy Standards and Indiana’sAcademic Standards. IN.govhttp://dc.doe.in.gov/Standards/AcademicStandards/PrintLibrary/ILS_Correlations.shtml

■ Lynn Barrett is a retired former librarian at Dixon’s CityTechnology College (now Dixon’s City Academy), Bradford.


Features

Over the years there have been many famous siblings: Cain &Abel, Anne & Emily, Alec & Stephen and more recently‘Jedward’.

The one thing all these siblings have had in common is thatthere is always one that is more famous than the other. PoorAbel forever remembered as Cain’s murder victim, lowly Anneforever in Emily’s Wuthering shadow and Stephen, never quitemanaging to head the Baldwin acting clan. As for ‘Jedward’,well I’m not too sure which is which but I’m sure one’s hairisn’t quite as tall as the others.

In the long history of sibling rivalries and poor relations onefeatures more unjustly than the other. Two brothers ofliterature, one forever in the other’s shadow, always fighting forattention and recognition. For one the slice of cake has alwaysbeen bigger, the Christmas presents more expensive and thebirthday party better attended.

Some of you may at this moment be caught in painfulchildhood memories. Many of you may have paid fortunes incounselling trying to get over this fact but spare a thought forthe eternal struggle that Non Fiction faces over its betterknown sibling Fiction. Non Fiction is not only unable to seekcounselling for the way it is treated but in a world wherenames are so important it has to put up with being somethingthat is not something else. Having lived with no real identitywe only know it by the fact that it is not fiction. That it is notmade up.

Hang on a minute…You mean Non Fiction, which is all aboutreality, truth and knowledge, is known because it is not madeup. Surely this has to be the wrong way round. Surely weshould be saying anything that is made up is not real. Thatfiction books really should be called ‘non non-fiction’, but thenI suppose that really is quite silly.

It does though raise the question about our feelings on Fictionand Non Fiction books. By giving them those titles, by namingthem in those ways we are immediately putting one above theother. We are giving our preferences to fiction and saying ‘wellthere is that other type of book, but it’s not quite fictionthough is it?’ By giving something a negative to start off withit’s no wonder Non Fiction books have felt hard done by overthe years.

Remembering back to when I was at school I must admit NonFiction books weren’t the inspiring, creative books that we see

today. In fact they were downright dowdy. A quick trip downthe photo library for some American kids in bent over poses toillustrate the indigestion system and some truncatedexplanation cut and pasted from a 1950’s medical journal byProf Heinmann Scherlicker was about all publishers seemed tostretch to. Maybe it was almost a self-fulfilling prophecy thatNon Fiction was suffering so much from a lack of identity thatit also suffered a lack of funding, drive and understanding.

In recent times though there seems to have been a revolution.A factual revolution. A revolution to finally give Non Fictionits true identity. The peasants are revolting, so says history,and as Jefferson remarked ‘every generation needs arevolution’. even The Beatles were fond of a revolution, orNine. In my opinion it’s been a long overdue revolution, butnevertheless things are changing. When you walk into a bookshop or library the Non Fiction shelves are no longer filledwith dust coloured door stops. Instead they are inviting,colourful, and fun. The booksellers are now proud to displaythem. To enter them into their top 10’s. To promote them.There are some amazing authors and illustrators of NonFiction. Authors and illustrators that write and create booksand pieces of artwork just as awe-inspiring as those we crowover in fiction book awards.

Non Fiction is beginning to be understood a little more. Itsimportance is being seen as not just a tool for learning but as avehicle for enjoyment. When we talk about reading forpleasure we immediately seek the fiction books on the shelves,the authors that delight many a child and adult alike, and quiterightly do we do this. We are living in a golden age of children’swriting. But we fail to be all inclusive. We fail to give allreaders a chance, to allow everyone into this circle. How littledo we mention Non Fiction when we talk of reading forpleasure? We do this to our detriment. To not recognise thepower of all types of reading is to go against the veryfoundations that the ‘book’ is built upon.

You may at this point disagree that this is the case. You maybelieve you do fully encompass all types of reading in yourlibrary and your work place. This may be the case but look mein the eye and tell me that when confronted with finding abook that young people read for pleasure you don’tautomatically head for the fiction shelves? It’s not your faultthough. It’s something we can’t help, it’s almost ingrained inus. But even if you do feel you do your best in promoting NonFiction, where is the national agenda? Where is the guidinglight that we so often rely on? There are so many book awardsfor fiction authors and illustrators, so many special days thatwe use to promote in our libraries to get people reading andengaged with fiction. But where are those awards and days forNon Fiction? Where are the celebrations? Non Fiction is doingits part, changing our perceptions, so maybe it’s time we didour bit to help it along.

Non Fiction has been a passion of mine for a long time. As a

What’s in a Name?

National Non-Fiction Day

Adam Lancaster


Featureslover of facts and a ‘believer’ in the multi-faceted nature ofNon Fiction I’ve always argued its corner, even in its darkestdays. As an advisory librarian I spent many a happy Fridaymorning ploughing through approvals meetings enjoying allthe types of Non Fiction that had been recently published andnow as a school librarian I enjoy the long buying tripsspending my time in the Non Fiction aisles. But it’s been apassion that I’ve only managed to show on a small scale. Apassion that has spent a long time waiting.

All through my time working in the children’s book world I’vewaited for someone to come along and create a celebration forNon Fiction. For someone to release the shackles, to shine thelight, to revitalise, to regenerate, to understand and to giveNon Fiction an identity. It was a long wait and a wait that onlyended when I realised that if I wanted this to happen it wasgoing to have to be me to do it.

As those that know me understand, I’m more of a believer inthe underrated rather than one to crave the limelight, but Ihave been bought up to see that if you truly believe insomething and know you can make a difference then it is downto you to do something about it.

That is why when I became Chair of the reading charity, theFederation of Children’s Book Groups, I knew it was mychance to create the national agenda that I felt Non Fictionneeded. An agenda to try and help give Non Fiction its identityand a way to make sure our charity was being fully inclusive ofall readers.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Federation, weare a charity that has reading at its heart. We aim to bring asmany books to as many children as possible. We do thisthrough a number of groups dotted around the country, eachrunning their own events, working with different partners. Weown and coordinate a number of national events such asNational Share A Story Month throughout May and the RedHouse Children’s Book Award, an award that has young peopleand reading at its core. We have though been guilty, as allother reading bodies, of not being fully inclusive of all readers.Guilty to a certain extent of ignoring the large readershipwhich accesses Non Fiction for pleasure.

As if the stars had aligned, everything pointed towards acelebration of Non Fiction. A celebration that would finallygive the Non Fiction readership something to be happy aboutand something that would even up the sides in our charity andin the book world in general.

Launched along with one of the great Non Fiction publishers,Scholastic, the idea of National Non Fiction Day wasannounced at the Federation’s annual conference. The day istruly a celebration to encompass all that is great about Non

Fiction. I want to have as many people participating in theevent as possible, whether they be publishers, schools,libraries, teachers or just simply individuals wanting to takepart.

The day will revolve around our website (www.nnfd.org) whichwill contain ideas for activities, contacts for authors, fundownloads and loads and loads of information. Already theball is rolling. Since the launch of the idea we have beeninundated with requests for more information. Requests forpeople wanting to be involved, to join in with the celebrations.The thing about Non Fiction is that it covers all areas. It has somuch potential, potential for learning, potential for enjoymentand the potential to create some of the most imaginativeevents thought of. I have been told of events happening inobservatories, in an amphitheatre in London, and in WorldWar II museums amongst many others. But it is not the size ofthe events that matter, it is the taking part in the celebrations.Whether you have a small display in a library or a themedlesson at school, an individual downloading a fun activity fromthe website or a book group choosing a Non Fiction book todiscuss. It all counts. It all matters.

I hope that this day will be the start of something big.Something that realigns Non Fiction and brings it on to a parwith Fiction. I don’t believe Non Fiction is any better thanFiction or vice versa but I do believe it is just as good, just asimportant and its authors and illustrators are just as talentedas any Fiction authors and illustrators. National Non FictionDay on 4 November 2010 and every first Thursday inNovember thereafter will celebrate that fact and Non Fictionwill no longer be the poor relation but an equal partner. Plus,you never know, one day we may just refer to it in the positiveas ‘Knowlogy’ books, rather than the negative!

To find out more about National Non Fiction Day look at thewebsite: http://nnfd.org/

■ Adam Lancaster is Librarian at Monk’s Walk School, WelwynGarden City, Herts, and Founder of National Non Fiction Day.


Features

Curriculum for Excellence (CfE)

Scotland’s new curriculum aims to ‘achieve a transformation ineducation in Scotland by providing a coherent, more flexibleand enriched curriculum from 3 to 18’ (CfE, 2009). Its statedpurpose is to ensure that:

all the children and young people of Scotland develop theattributes, knowledge and skills they will need if they are toflourish in life, learning and work, now and in the future.(CfE, 2009a)

To assist in the achievement of these aims and purposes‘Learning Experiences and Outcomes’ were developed bycurriculum teams consisting of seconded teachers. Theexperiences and outcomes are seen as an ‘essential component’of the new curriculum which will ‘signpost progression inlearning’ and ‘set challenging standards that will equip youngpeople to meet the challenges of the 21st century’ (CfE,2009b). They describe ‘national expectations of learning andprogression from early level to fourth (pre-school to S6).

However, the role of the school librarian and the school librarywas not as visible as hoped by the profession. The question asto why the contribution of librarians in supporting Curriculumfor Excellence was not indicated, was raised. Some success waseventually achieved with the contribution of the school librarynoted within the CfE Principle and Practice Paper (CfE,2009c).

Other success included the inclusion of information literacy(Scottish Information Literacy Project, 2009) within theLiteracy Across Learning experiences and outcomes CfE,2009b) most notably within:

■ finding and using information in the listening and talking,and reading sections

■ understanding, analysing and evaluating in listening andtalking, and reading sections ‘to encourage progression inunderstanding of texts, developing not only literalunderstanding but also the higher order skills’ (CfE, 2009c)

■ organising and using information in the writing section.

The project saw this as an important achievement forinformation literacy and an opportunity for school librariansto be actively engaged in the new CfE and learning experiencesand outcomes. Whilst anecdotal evidence suggested someinitiatives by individual school librarians and local authoritylibrary education resource services, what was needed wasinformation on a national scale of not only their engagementbut also their knowledge and understanding of the newcurriculum.

School librarian survey

With the help of funding from Learning and TeachingScotland (LTS) Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) LiteracyTeam, a questionnaire was designed, piloted and administeredby the Scottish Information Literacy Project. It ran between16/07/09 and 04/09/09.There was a total response of 74 ofwhich 72 were from the secondary sector. There are 375Scottish secondary schools (Scottish Government, 2009)although not all of these have a school librarian. Given the 72responses from the secondary sector where school librariansare situated, the response rate can be said to be at least 20%, abetter than average response for a survey of this kind.

Of those that responded 86% (64) read Curriculum forExcellence (CfE): Learning Experiences and Outcomes,Principles and Practice papers.

Out of a total of 16 Learning Experiences and Outcomes therespondents’ top ten are shown in Graph 1.

75% of respondents had identified ways in which informationliteracy can be used to achieve or assist achievement of theexperiences and outcomes. These included:

‘Due to undertaking an S1/S2 Library Audit I have identified anumber of information literacy skills in the programme whichcan be directly related to the Literacy Outcomes’

‘I’ve found the Literacy Experience and Outcomes paper mostuseful because so much of it fits with library and information

The Curriculum for Excellence

Knowledge, Engagement and Contributionby Scottish School Librarians

by Christine Irving

Graph A

skills. I am line managed by the Head who has agreed to makeme a key member of the Literacy Strategy working group andwill support efforts to take library skills to even hard to reachdepartments’

‘I am currently looking at courses I provide within the Libraryto determine where they fit into the experiences andoutcomes’

‘Mapped library services to the four capacities for citizenship,as part of our information literacy strategy. Purpose is toinform various stakeholders – teachers, curriculum managers ,CLD [Community Learning and Development], other learningpartners – of how the library sits in relation to CfE’.

In response to what information literacy related activitiesthey had identified within the experiences and outcomes, themain responses (12 of the 15 listed in the survey) are shown inGraph B. Almost all the key issues of information literacy arerecognised here and in an order which might be expected,although curiously problem solving received a very low rating44.7% and is not shown in the graph.

53% (26 respondents) were or had been involved in pilotingactivities, created new activities or updated existingactivities based upon the experiences and outcomes. The listof activities reported included 14 working with S1 and S2pupils (first and second year of secondary school) and onlythree working with S3 and S4. As well as information skills,activities included author and storyteller visits and essaypreparation. Encouragingly there were five reports of workwith S5 and S6 pupils which included research skills for S6,training for Advanced Higher pupils and pre-universitytraining seminars which includes plagiarism awareness.Subject areas mentioned included: English, languages, socialsubjects and cross departmental programmes. Specificexamples were given of cross departmental work/projects:

■ Project about the local community – tied into the 40thanniversary of the housing estate in which the school islocated. Project involved local history research; creation ofa blog for the public to read and contribute to; visits to localgallery, museum and archives; presentation of work to localcommunity. It is hoped the project will continue andinclude a community action element, giving pupils theopportunity to effect change in the community.

■ Interdisciplinary week – Rich Task. Working withHumanities and Languages departments on a three day taskbased on Lachlan Macquarie, Father of Australia. This waswith S1/2. It involved planning the task, finding resourcesto be used, then working with students to look at primaryand secondary sources of information; plan, carry outresearch and communicate results at the end of the week.

■ Piloting development of a cross departmental programmeof research and investigation skills for all S1 pupilsdeveloped and taught by a range of subject teachers and thelibrarian. It is hoped that this will soon be made availablethrough GLOW. [GLOW is the national intranet foreducation within Scotland.]

With reference to piloting the respondents were asked if theywere working on their own or with a particular subjectteacher. 30 people replied – half worked on their own and halfwith a subject teacher. Eleven reported work school-wide andten with other school librarians.

The last major question was: …how can school librariansoptimise their efforts to support information literacy andthe Curriculum for Excellence Experiences and Outcomeslocally and nationally?

This generated 28 responses. The main points which werefrequently repeated were: becoming involved in schoolactivities through school committees such as literacy teams, bygetting the support of the head teacher, by demonstrating anunderstanding of the aims of CfE, by supporting crosscurricular activities, by developing links with primary schools,being involved in all discussions and training and in-serviceopportunities, liaising closely with subject departments,working with other school library colleagues, working withteachers to standardise terminology, by promoting a wholeschool approach and by involving Learning and TeachingScotland.

Conclusions – engagement, opportunities andissues

A number of overview conclusions can be reached from boththe statistical data and the respondent comments. Clearly theCfE is an excellent advocacy tool and must be understood andused by all Scottish school librarians. Literacy across learningexperiences and outcomes are a key component andopportunity. It is encouraging to see that some schoollibrarians are engaging wherever they can see experiences andoutcomes that they can contribute to.

However engagement and implementation raises severalissues. Too many intra school links are informal and directcurriculum involvement is very varied and frequentlyunstructured. Two factors are crucial: the support of the headteacher and school management and direct involvement incurriculum planning.

Behind the support of the head teacher and SMT lies the widerquestion of the role and status of the school librarian.

One or two respondents admitted to despondency due to lackof influence/direction. Amongst other things, is the issue ofreporting to ‘a School Manager rather than directly to theHead Teacher’. Often this Resources Officer/BusinessManager’s direct responsibility involves administrative andpersonnel duties and they are not involved at curriculumplanning level. It is therefore understandable that school


Features

Graph B


Featureslibrarians feel unhappy with this situation, especially whenpreviously this was not the case. The role and status of theschool librarian and the support or lack of support by a headteacher or senior management in Scotland has been reportedelsewhere most notably by Ritchie (2008, 2009, 2009a).

Regarding direct involvement in curriculum planning, schoollibrarians must be members of literacy planning groups or CfEgroups to ensure that information literacy is built intocurriculum planning. As one respondent stated, schoollibrarians should always be involved in in-service training daysto ‘learn’ and to ‘raise awareness of the role they can play incurriculum development’. Some respondents mentioned theadvantages of working with other school librarians and alsowith primary schools, thus raising the transitional agenda.

The survey suggests that awareness of the value of CfE is onlytranslated into action to a limited extent but then thecurriculum is still very new and it is totally different to the5–14 guidelines and the A–F levels of attainment.

Direct curriculum involvement is very varied and largelyunstructured. Much of the work takes place with S1/S2. Therewas some evidence of involvement with S3/S4 which includedinformation skills training and essay preparation. However,probably because of the need to prepare for Intermediate andStandard Grade examinations, this is usually the area whereleast activity takes place. There is some activity to support atransitional/independent learning agenda and also informationliteracy as a transitional skill. Reports indicate that all thecustomary information literacy skills are taught with thenotable exception of intellectual property rights. There is alsono mention of Internet safety issues. However anecdotalevidence received through the course of the project suggeststhat these issues are taught/tackled by some school librarians.

Another issue which surfaced and which seems to be commonto all aspects of information literacy promotion is thequestion of a common vocabulary. Teachers and librarians usedifferent terms for the same thing. Vocabulary is also notstandardised across the different experiences and outcomes.

A final issue is the Principles and Practice papers:

essential reading for staff as they begin, and then develop,their work with the experiences and outcomes. Theydescribe, for example, the purposes of learning within thecurriculum area, how the experiences and outcomes areorganised, features of effective learning and teaching, broadfeatures of assessment, and connections with other areas ofthe curriculum. (CfE, 2009d).

Specifically the statement with the Literacy across learningPrinciples and Practice Paper which refers to their owncontribution:

It is expected that the literacy experiences and outcomes andthis accompanying paper [principles and practice], will beread by a range of practitioners, including those who work inschool library resource centres, who make an enormouscontribution to the literacy skills of children and youngpeople. (CfE, 2009c).

For school librarians the above quote is important as itrecognises their contribution to literacy skills and could beused in their advocacy work with Head Teachers and thesenior management team. Unfortunately it seems like it is theonly time the work of the school library is mentioned within

the CfE papers. Hopefully teachers, senior management teamsand Head Teachers are reading and taking note of the abovequote; if not then it needs to brought to their attention.

Acknowledgements

Thanks are given to all who participated in the survey and tomy colleague John Crawford who analysed the data.

References

CfE, (2009) Curriculum for Excellence, Curriculum overview,available at: http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/curriculumoverview/index.asp (accessed 10 February 2010)

CfE, (2009a) Curriculum for Excellence, Curriculum overview,Purposes and aims, available at: http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/curriculumoverview/aims/index.asp (accessed 10 February 2010)

CfE, (2009b) Curriculum for Excellence – Literacy across learning,available at: http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/responsibilityofall/literacy/index.asp (accessed 11 February 2010)

CfE, (2009c) Curriculum for Excellence – Literacy across learning:principles and practice, available at: http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/Images/literacy_across_learning_principles_practice_tcm4-540108.pdf (accessed 11 February 2010)

CfE, (2009d) Curriculum for Excellence – Experiences andoutcomes - getting started, available at: http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/experiencesandoutcomes/gettingstarted/guidancestructure.asp (accessed 12November 2009)

LTS, (2009) What is Glow, available at: http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/glowscotland/about/Whatisglow.asp(accessed 10 February 2010)

Ritchie, C. S. (2008) The self-perceived status of school librarians.MSc thesis, Department of Computing and Information Science,University of Strathclyde.

Ritchie, C. S. (2009). How much is a school librarian worth?Library and Information Update, May, pp. 48-9.

Ritchie, C.S. (2009a). Filling a gap: would evidence-basedlibrarianship work in the UK? Library and Information Research,Vol. 33 No. 104, pp, 26-35

Scottish Information Literacy Project (2009), Information Literacyin Schools, available at:http://www.gcu.ac.uk/ils/InformationLiteracyinSchools.html(accessed 10 February 2010)

Scottish Government (2009) School Estates 2009, available at:http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/10/08104324/3(accessed 10 February 2010)

University of Glasgow (2008) Curriculum for Excellence: DraftExperiences and Outcomes Final Report, available at:http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/publications/c/publication_tcm4539668.asp (accessed 10 February 2010)

■ Christine Irving is Research/Project Officer at The ScottishInformation Literacy Project.


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Editor’s note: All the reviews in ict@sla are also available online in the members-only section of thewebsite: www.sla.org.uk/ict-at-sla. The site contains the full text of the reviews andreaders are able to click directly onto links. Reviews are available in chronologicalorder or through tag cloud searching by keyword.

Read online at www.sla.org.uk/ict-at-sla

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The National Education Network comprises13 national and regional networks, includingScotland’s national intranet for schools, GLOW;Classroom 2000 in Northern Ireland; NationalGrid for Learning Cymru; and broadbandconsortia all around England. This collaborativenetwork aims to provide schools with ‘a safe,secure and reliable learning environment’ andconnect learning communities across the UK.Many of the free online resources it provides arethe result of partnerships with museums, libraries,galleries and archives: ‘We bring art, history andculture into homes and classrooms.’

As a first stage, students can access this richcontent via NEN’s portal without having to go outonto the internet at all. The resources in theTeaching and Learning area can be easily browsedby Key Stage and subject. The resources tosupport the teaching of citizenship at Key Stage 4,for example, include a video on the life of a younggirl who came on the kindertransport from NaziGermany to London in the 1930s; oral historiesand photographs exploring the lives ofcommunities linked with the sea in the North Eastof England; an animation about the life of GraceDarling; original documents on crime andpunishment in the Victorian period; and WorldWar II footage from the Pathé archive. Theresources can also be searched across allcategories by keyword and organised eitheralphabetically or by Key Stage. A search for slaveryturned up satirical drawings by James Gillray,tracks of slave songs, and an online tool to helpstudents create a digital museum box of artefactsrelated to slavery.

Many of the resources have teachers’ notes andsuggestions as to how they might be used in theclassroom; they may be freely included by allschools connected to the NEN on their ownlearning platforms and websites – in only a fewplaces are there copyright restrictions. An RSSfeed generator can produce a constantly updatedlist of specific resources which could go on alibrary or departmental VLE; for example all thegeography resources for Key Stage 3, with themost recently added listed first.

If the student needs to conduct more detailedresearch, a managed search of the internet can be

launched from within the NEN site, with filteredand appropriate results. While a standard Googlesearch for ‘slavery’ yields nearly 21 million results,with theWikipedia articlein the top slot, aGoogle searchlaunched fromthe NationalEducationNetwork returns fewer than 50.

While the Teaching and Learning pages havesome excellent resources, the rest of the site israther dry. There are a good number of policydocuments about broadband entitlement, goodICT practiceand e-safety;worthy anduseful, but ofmore interestto teachersand librariansthan topupils.

There was also a significant amount of content inneed of updating. The ‘Media Centre’ advertises acompetition for budding young journalists with anentry deadline in November 2009, and thecalendar of events was completely blank. I cameacross a few links to resources which no longerworked, and the copyright date on all the pages Ivisited was 2007. Despite the fact that there werevery recent articles on the home page, and a livelynews archive, I still formed an impression that,contrary to its stated aims, this was not a‘growing range of online services and content’.The site and its resources are the direct result ofthe National Grid for Learning initiative in2000–2001, and the subsequent rolling out ofbroadband to all schools a few years later. Itwould be a real shame if the Teaching andLearning resources were not further developedand extended now that the initial impetus haspassed.

Marianne Bradnock

National EducationNetwork http://www.nen.gov.uk/


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Crisis Pointhttp://euroacademyonline.eu/crisis-point/

Crisis Point is a role-playgame based on ‘a fictionalscenario in which studentshave to work as citizens,MEPs and EuropeanCommissioners to saveEurope from a pandemic’. Ithas been developed to meetthe needs of the Key Stage3 and 4 Citizenshipcurriculum, as an engagingway for students to learnabout the workings of theEU, the different roles of theEuropean Commission andEuropean Parliament, and the importance these institutions have in the livesof citizens right across Europe. It is endorsed by the Hansard Society, winner ofthe 2010 Nominet Internet Awards for its success in ‘empowering youngpeople and citizens’ (see http://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/).

Crisis Point is designed to be run as a full day citizenship event, withcomprehensive downloadable resources. These include a detailed outline forthe day for teachers to follow, a series of lesson plans, backgroundinformation, worksheets and videos; the core printed material alone runs to174 pages. The day begins with investigation into the EU and its institutions,and the ‘game’ is launched with a video news clip about the highly infectionsTB-like bacteria which is facing Europe with the biggest threat in fourcenturies. The aim of Crisis Point is to give students the opportunity toparticipate actively in formulating policies to deal with the crisis, and toengage in the broader issues of being a citizen of Europe. It calls on skills ofresearch, discussion, presentation, analysis and critical thinking. Students haveto put themselves in the position of a range of EU citizens of different ages,analyse news reports, readrecords of past pandemicsand interpret information inpolls and statistics. They arepresented with a range ofpossible solutions and,weighing up all theinformation, must decide onthe best. Taking on the roleof EU commissioners,students have to defend their chosen solution to fellow commissioners. In thefinal stage, students adopt the role of MEPs from all the member states andthe full spectrum of political parties to debate the proposed legislation in amock European Parliament.

The free Crisis Point resource is part of the EuroAcademy website, created andrun by the UK Office of the European Parliament(http://euroacademyonline.eu/). It is further supported by a number of freepublications which are available on request. The student area(http://euroacademyonline.eu/crisis-point/student-area/) contains links tofurther useful online resources including EuroparlTV (reviewed in the Spring2009 issue), the EUTube channel on YouTube and a number of useful andauthoritative sites such as the European Union portal site Europa(http://europa.eu/). Having myself had the challenge of trying to bringEuropean politics to life for Year 10 students, I know that I would havewelcomed Crisis Point. Even if your school does not decide to dedicate a dayas envisaged, the resources contain a great deal of material to support theteaching of citizenship and politics to 11–16 year olds.

Marianne Bradnock

Round Up of Book-Related Websites

Wired for Books http://wiredforbooks.org is awonderful site, inviting visitors to enter throughThe Red Door which reminded me very much ofa childhood spent watching Playschool, but Idigress. The red door in question here is apicture of the entrance to the Temple ofLiterature in Hanoi. Entering the site the visitorswill find themselves invited to celebrate books, literature and reading. A busypage shows how full of features this site is. Primarily aimed at adults andpossibly older teens there are plenty of opportunities to listen to audiodramatisations of classic texts as well as selections of poetry and short storiesall read by notable people. It was however the children’s section that I wasmost obviously interested in visiting and this carries a large feature onBeatrix Potter. The text and features from her stories can be accessed inEnglish or Japanese! There are then audio versions in four languages, and amultimedia slide show. As well as all this there is a complete and unabridgedaudio version of Alice in Wonderland, Charles Dickens, Grimm and Just So.The content here may be limited but it is a great opportunity to listen tosome of the most popular and yet perhaps least shared stories from thehistory of children’s literature. This is not a site designed for children but it isa great one for adults to indulge in and families to share.

The mission statement on Read Write Thinkhttp://www.readwritethink.org on the otherhand states that their mission is to ‘provideeducators, parents, and after-schoolprofessionals with access to the highest qualitypractices in reading and language artsinstruction by offering the very best in freematerials’. This refers to the lesson plans for teachers, interactive resourcesfor students including a resource on writing poetry and another on not onlyhow to write prose but also how to be published. For parents and afterschool activities there are activities for children of all ages ranging from abook hunt for the youngest to poetry Blogs for teens. This is a great, wellresourced and easily accessible site.

Smories http://www.smories.com is a sitepacked with stories submitted by children andprovides a brand new story each and every day– a tall order! It aims to be a continuous flow ofstories, for kids and read by kids, anunthreatening place for them to share storiesthey have created and those they have loved. This is a great site to visit andenjoy, be surprised. Writers of the stories can be any age but readers must beunder 16. There is a tremendous wealth of stories here so far, I urge you todip in and have a go, surprise yourself and enjoy yourself exploring thewonderful world of stories!

Finally if you have youngsters who are reluctantfor any reason then they or you may like to havea look at Read Kiddo Readhttp://www.readkiddoread.com/home. Illustratedbooks, transitional, page turners andrecommendations for older readers provideplenty of opportunity to encourage the whole family to find something theywill enjoy. Whilst the choice is limited it is very current and there are lots ofrecommendations within genre so there really is something for everyone.

If nothing else these sites should prove that reading and enjoying reading isstill a popular option, regardless of the plethora of technology whichsurrounds us. Visit one or two, be surprised and surprise a child or two!

Louise Ellis-Barrett, Librarian, Downsend School


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Book trailers are short movies that promote books ratherthan films. At their best they provide a glimpse of thestory and just enough of the action to entice you to wantto go on and read the book itself. Some say that theyspoil the book because the trailer has already given youan interpretation of the setting and perhaps the characters and you are nolonger able create your own visuals of how you think characters and settingsmight look in the story.

As well as being used to promote titles trailers can also form the basis of alesson. Students could assess trailers and identify the features that makesome trailers more effective than others. Students could also create their owntrailers using Photostory, Animoto or using other video recording options. Thelist below is by no means definitive, however it is I hope a good startingpoint and I am sure you will locate some other gems along the way.

Hints and tips websites for students creatingbook trailers

■ http://readingpower.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/book-trailers-a-web-2-0-journey-book-trailers-authentic-audiences-and-copyright/ gives a clearoverview on how you could teach students to produce their own booktrailers. Also mentions TeacherTube book trailers for all sites,http://teachertube.com/members/groupHome.php?group_id=booktrailersforall which you can also sign up to through Facebook athttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Book-Trailers-for-All/334149457794

■ http://www.techlearning.com/article/8160 tells you how to make booktrailers with Photostory.

■ http://teachwithpicturebooks.blogspot.com/2010/01/coming-attractions-book-trailers.html has a great list of suggested uses for book trailers.

■ 43 book trailer links http://www.darcypattison.com/marketing/book-trailers/ Includes links to sites on how to create trailer and articles or postsabout trailers.

■ http://colquitt.k12.ga.us/twether/Lessons/Word/Book_Trailerscy.docincludes a short list of the steps needed to create a trailer.

Locating book trailersIt is easy to spend ages looking for trailers and they do vary in quality. Someare created by publisher and authors, some for competitions, some by fansand others by students in lessons. Searching YouTube for a book title plusthe word trailer will bring up loads. http://www.youtube.com

Trailer competition winnersThe Kirkus Book Video Awards is a competition that challenges studentfilmmakers to create video trailers based on three upcoming young-adultnovels to be published by Random House Children’s Books (USA).http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-video-awards/

The Bookseller Book Video Awards for 2009 are available online here:http://www.play.com/HOME/HOME/6-/Campaign.html?campaign=4841&cid=9345018

The Book Video Awards are now in their second year and are organised bythe National Film and Television School, Play.com, Random House, and TheBookseller magazine.

Publishers and book shopsIncreasingly publishers and bookretailers offer feature trailers on theirwebsites. As I write this Waterstonesfeatures Eoin Colfer talking aboutArtemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complexand a trailer for Linger, MaggieStiefvater’s follow-up to the bestsellingShiver. You can also find these trailers by searching YouTube for‘Waterstones’. http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/browse/childrens/4294965002/?WT.mc_id=Kids

Scholastic also offers ‘booktalks’ videos: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/video.jsp?pID=1640149541&bcpid=1640149541&bclid=57826465001

Blogs and other non-commercial websites

Digital Book Talk has 101 trailers from the University of Central Floridaand their partners. If you register with the siteas well as viewing the trailers you will be ableto access material on how they made thetrailers including a video on how creatingbook trailers has changed students views onreading:http://digitalbooktalk.com/

Books 4 Teens, ‘The Blog For Young Adults Who Love To Read’, has a trailerof the week feature. http://www.books4teens.co.uk/

Naomi Bates (http://naomibates.blogspot.com/) is an expert on BookTrailers and has inspired lots of other librarians to get students to createtrailers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVesRUBrTPs

Look also at her prezi on book trailers:http://prezi.com/m68smuvk3bi9/book-trailers-making-students-want-to-read-created-by-naomi-bates-northwest-high-school/

The Bookleads wiki has this great list of links for trailers. In fact the rest ofthe wiki is of interest too and certainly worth investigating thoroughly:http://bookleads.wikispaces.com/trailers+and+videos

Storytubes http://www.storytubes.info is slightly different but might giveyou ideas for developing book trailers in adifferent way. Students video a 2-minute orless talk on ‘my favorite book’ to promote itand for kids to learn about new titles bywatching them.

Ingrid Hopson, George Abbott School

Book TrailersComing soon to a school library near you!


ict@sla


http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/

A History of the World in 100 Objects is a radio series which has been running inblocks on BBC Radio 4 since the beginning of 2010 – the next set of broadcasts starts inSeptember 2010 – and a comprehensive website accompanies it. The programmesthemselves focus on 100 items from the British Museum (http://www.britishmuseum.org/),chosen and described by the director Neil MacGregor, but the BBC website itself is far morewide-ranging. Hundreds of other objects have been submitted by museums across thecountry and members of the public can also submit items for inclusion.

There are several methods of navigating the site. There are tabs across the top for Home;Explore; Programmes; In your area; Blog; Learning; Get involved; About; and My profile. TheExplore tab brings up a cloud of objects. You can zoom backwards and forwards in timeusing the arrows, move to a particular time period using the timeline on the right of thescreen or filter the objects by six different filters: location, culture, period, theme, size,colour, and material. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be possible to combine these to findfor example Roman money or 19th century travel. Pupils like the serendipitous aspect ofthis clicking merrily all over the place; as a librarian trying to help people find specificinformation it is extremely frustrating, compounded by the lack of a search facility. It ispossible to narrow the search to objects contributed by the British Museum, or othermuseums, or individuals or to objects contributed from particular areas of the country –note this means submitted from the area, not that the object originated there, so forexample Dundee has submitted a south-east Asian feather tippet(http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/UpGk2ML9QdeucRAihVnsHA).

Each object has a record showing location; culture; period; theme, size; colour; andmaterial. Each of these can also be used to explore other related items, so for example onecan explore Inca objects, mediaeval objects or even purple objects! The contributor suppliesa brief description of the object and why it is important, and there is the facility to addcomments. For some objects comments have been added by other museum curators,expanding on the detail of the original annotations; in other cases the comments are frommembers of the public which makes the site feel very inclusive. If it is one of the 100 in theradio series, there is also a direct link to the broadcast which can be listened to online ordownloaded.

The schools section links to the BBC Primary history area. This currently has 13 objects toexplore, with child-friendly information, clearly subdivided; links to photographs and insome cases video-clips; fun facts of the kind particularly popular with boys; a quiz; and linksto related BBC online information and to the original museum link for the object. Forteachers there is a range of lesson plans and worksheets covering sources, world trade,chronology and local history.

There is also a linked CBBC series, Relic: Guardians of the Museumhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qgvyz and accompanying game. Many of themuseums involved are also running their own relic trails, encouraging children to visit andexplore their collections and perhaps giving a focus for a school extra-curricular activity.

An interactive map allows you to find items which have been submitted by your localmuseums; sometimes these clearly have local links or relevance but others are moreeclectic.

This is a fascinating site to browse and could be used to stimulate interest and discussion.Linking it to the curriculum and making sure that pupils find the objects they need willentail a fair amount of preparation by the teacher or librarian, but there is much whichcould usefully be embedded in a VLE or linked from a website or intranet – and there isalways the joy of happy discovery of the unexpected, the beautiful or the downright odd toencourage the enjoyment of information.

Elspeth S. Scott

A History of the World in 100ObjectsFrom wireless to website


ict@sla

ipl2 is the result of a merger inJanuary 2010 between theInternet Public Library andLibrarians’ Internet Index. As apublic service organisation and alearning/teaching environment,ipl2 is hosted by the iSchool atDrexel College of Information,Science and Technology. This venture is managed and supported by aconsortium of colleges and universities.

There are three elements to the website: a neatly structured resourcesupplying links to trustworthy information, an ‘Ask an ipl2 Librarian’service and a Learning Community, for which you need to register inorder to post questions and comments. It is the first element that Ipropose to explore.

Initial signposting routes areResources by Subject;Newspapers and Magazines;Special Collections created byipl2; For Kids and For Teens. Thebias is, as you might expect,towards American sites andcontent. However, there is still aremarkable attempt made at world coverage. This is particularly evidentin the newspaper section where you can use the menu to arrive at thefree content of daily and local newspapers, for example The Guardianor The York Press.

Resources by Subject offers annotated collections of high qualityinternet resources selected by ipl2 staff. The emphasis is on providingaccurate factual information.

All of the links provide freeinformation, but it is pointed outwhere some sites require paymentfor additional content andenhanced services. Within thiscategory you can select broadsubject areas such as Regional andCountry Information. This contains 504 resources broken down bycontinent or recognised geographical area like The Middle East.Sources include The BBC and official government websites. Searchingfor the population of Slovenia yielded several sites with thatinformation plus sites offering one or the other. There is a Reference

section and Arts and Humanities section, plus several more headings allof which break down to further subdivisions. Navigation is easy and thelabelling is very clear.

For Teens, ipl2 offers sections on moneymatters, graphic novels, answers to ‘FrequentlyAsked Embarrassing Questions’ amongst otherinteresting headings. The kind of knowledgefound here is largely devoted to teen issues andinterests. For Kids has a much moreeducational, traditional feel. The authors andbooklists refer to mainly American authors andsites. Whilst some of the sites grouped underthe two headings are helpful, these are possiblythe least useful parts of the site to use exactlyas they are.

All of the headings are straightforward except for Special Collectionscreated by ipl2.

There are 24 separate packages of sites, four of which are flagged as‘Most Popular’.

The A+ Research and Writing Guide also appears in the Teen section,but does, however, give advice and links to websites that are valuablefor any age. It could be used as a quick guide for supporting pupilsundertaking Extended Project Qualifications. The Literary Criticismcollection is another set of links covering a wide range of authors likelyto be interest to pupils. The WWI collection includes sites you wouldexpect to find, such as the BBC, as well as European and American siteson the same subject. There is also an eclectic range of Pathfinders toperuse, but some of the subjects are not relevant to schools.

Given the number of sites that are gathered into the structure of thissite it makes sense to be able to use power searching to retrieve exactlywhat you want. This was, in my opinion, the weakest part. The absenceof searching tips (apart from delving in the actual research guides)leaves the user guessing as to how to obtain the best results. Trying tofind resources for Jane Austen gave the same number of hits whetheror not inverted commas or Boolean logic was applied and the resultswere not all relevant.

This site could be a useful addition to any online reference library.Verified sources and accuracy of information are always important andthis is the strength of ipl2. Where third parties are responsible this isclearly pointed out, so you can choose whether to use what is on offer.

Pat Chandler, St Peter’s School

ipl2 – ‘information you can trust’http://ipl.org

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Introducing an enchanting storyteller. ..

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978-1-84895-085-6 HB £10.99 978-1-84895-095-5 HB £10.99

Two exciting new stories by Tracey Corderoy


Reviews

Editorial

Under 8

8 to 12

8 to 12 fiction

8 to 12 information

Poetry & Plays

12 to 16

12 to 16 fiction

12 to 16 information

16 to 19

Professional

As I write this in July it is a month since another cycle of the Kate Greenawayand Carnegie medals reached its concluding ceremony. I have said before, andI’ll continue saying, that the real deep value for readers in all awards comesfrom the shortlists. That is not to detract in any way from the merit or gloryof the winners (originally I reviewed The Graveyard Bookmyself in thisjournal, Vol. 57, No. 1, because no other review seemed to compare botheditions of the book). The shortlists give a ready reference of a careful andconsidered booklist summarising the best of the best and a look back over theshortlists of these two awards over, say, the last five years demonstrates anastonishing and exhilarating vibrancy of quality in the variety of writing andillustrating of books published for a young audience. It is so valuable not toneglect, or to overlook, the shortlists after an actual agreed winner isannounced. For the reader who finds the affinity of deep satisfaction in a bookthat book is the winner; no announcement or presentation, not evenawareness for the author, but it happens, have faith.

Publishers do appear to live by the adage of ‘Behold I make all things new.’There is such emphasis, such wholesale focus, such single-mindedenthusiasm lavished on the newest, the ‘lead’ titles, the latest or even thesoon-to-be forthcoming that grand favourites so easily slip further intopromotional backlist obscurity and fade, and fade. A broader picture, a widerawareness, is essential if we as educators are really serving the needs of ourown readers. In this latest Carnegie list appeared Rowan the Strange,categorised as historical fiction, which I have no hesitation in stating is simplya superb novel with the added advantage of accessibility to young adultreaders. But this book is also the third in a trio, not a trilogy, of novels by JulieHearn: Ivy, Hazel and finally Rowan. The writing throughout is a delight andto be able to sustain plausibility and convincingly create the sustainedhumour – very, very funny rather than a jokey belly-laugh – of the openingchapters of the first book through to the heartrending power of a tragedy inthe last is a wonder. Read on, readers, read on with awe and that breathlesssense of being in touch with something so special which comes from the bestof books.

In America, the Children’s Literature Association presents an annual PhoenixAward for a title which has maintained reader satisfaction for 20 years. The2010 award has gone to that doyenne of historical fiction Rosemary Sutclifffor The Shining Company. This story is based upon the ancient poem Y Gododdin and was published, a couple of years before the death of theauthor, by The Bodley Head in 1990; it is not one of her most appreciatedbooks here in the UK. (I cannot resist pointing out a fine irony that USpublishing sensitivities currently appear to be denying their readers therichness of Rowan the Strange.) In 2008 the winner was Peter Dickinson forEva and in 2004 Berlie Doherty for White Peak Farm. Not a headline grabber,this award, not a reason to emblazon special editions of the books with eye-catching medallion stickers, often not even a cause for celebratory neweditions in spite of the possibility that the sales pitch ‘New’ might be appliedyet again. But with winner and ‘honor’ lists what depth, what quantities, whatimmeasurable wealth of reader satisfaction has built up over twenty years.Read on, and on, and on.

Chris Brown

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Books and material for review should be sent by post to the Reviews Editor: Chris Brown, 43 Stonehouse Road, Liphook, GU30 7DD

Under 8


Under 8Bergman, Mara, and Thomas,Cassia Lively Elizabeth! Hodder, 2010, pp32, £10.99978 0 340 98804 6

Here’s the cautionary tale of what happens if youpush and shove. Lively Elizabeth, a disorderlychild, sets off a chain reaction when shethoughtlessly pushes Joe, a sweetly passivelooking little boy who is standing in front of her.He falls on to Johnny and in no time at all the restof the class goes down like skittles, the bookshelftopples, music stands crash, curtains arewrenched loose, the cat scrams. Fittingly, Joe givesElizabeth a well deserved ticking off and wringsan apology (of sorts) out of her. Elizabeth isforgiven, peace restored.

The sequence building up to the cumulativedisaster is well paced. The page turn plays a majorpart in creating waves of suspense leading to theclimax, with the size of the typeface signallinghigh decibel levels. There are opportunities forprediction, joining in with sound effects, evencounting.

In a style reminiscent of the work of ShirleyHughes, the robust participants, caught in totallynatural poses, are the very essence of childhood.In landscape format with cream paper stock, thisis an elegant picturebook about a chaotic episodeat playgroup.

Jane Doonan

Boothroyd, Jennifer What is Taste? Lerner, 2010, pp32, £5.99978 0 7613 5415 4

A useful book for Key Stage One because theapproach is simple, the text clear and theillustrations colourful. A contents list, index,glossary and reading list encourage informationskills, even though they are all very simple. Thereare five books in the series covering the mainsenses, and if the text of the others is similargiving basic but accurate facts with suggestedlines of investigation, the series will be a real helpto pupils and teachers starting science studies.

Delvene A. Barnett

Braun, SebastienThe Ugly Duckling(based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen)

Boxer Books, 2010, pp32, £11.99978 1 907152 03 0

This is a very fine retelling of the Andersen fairytale. Mother duck is surprised to discover an extraegg in her nest but is determined to love the uglyduckling as her very own. After a year ofwandering and loneliness he discovers his trueidentity. This is the first book in a new ‘StoryHouse’ collection – a series of classic fairy talesillustrated by contemporary artists.

Stylized illustrations with vibrant green and goldcolours fill each page. The strong pen and ink linesilhouetting each picture serves to emphasize theduckling’s dilemma. A very good tale to readaloud to the very young, big bold typography alsocreates an ideal story for the emergent reader. Thetimeless theme provides an excellent trigger fordiscussions about difference and inclusion for theunder eight.

Rosemary Woodman

Browne, Anthony Me and YouDoubleday, 2010, pp32, £10.99978 0 385 614894

Anthony Browneoffers a newperspective on anold tale with his re-interpretation of‘Goldilocks and theThree Bears’, whichhe dedicates ‘to allunderdogs’.Characteristically hegives his readersplenty to puzzle over since the structure of thepicturebook’s layout allows for a doubleviewpoint. Goldilocks’ wordless story is shown onthe verso in a sequence of small scale frames inmonochrome. The Bears’ tale, with a text, appearson the recto in page frames with images on alarge scale, lightly coloured in crayon and inks. TheGoldilocks’ family lives on mean streets, where asthe Bears have a spacious property near the park.The striking class difference, with the materialadvantage enjoyed by the Bears is counter -balanced by contrast in the behaviour of the twosets of parents. Colour, as a coded clue, has anegative value in the Goldilocks’ sequence untilthe final frame when the action is bathed inradiant golden light which out-shines anythingshown in proximity to Baby Bear. This apparently– and deceptively – simple picturebook couldkeep discussions going for a very long time.

Jane Doonan

Conway, David and Angaramo,RobertaErrol and his Extraordinary Nose Gullane, 2010, pp38, £10.99978 1 86233 766 4

Errol the elephant feels left out. Where is hisspecial talent? When it comes to the school talentshow, what could his act be? All the otheranimals at Acacia Tree Junior School were alwayssinging their own praises and delighted to paradethem at the talent show. Errol needed somespecial support from his thoughtful dad and hisbook all about elephants. When the talent showfinally arrives, Errol is able to wow the audienceand win the day with a dazzling array of his own

special talents. He is able to use his trunk to verygood effect and find the confidence to showcasehis abilities. The story is designed to convey themessage that everyone is special in their own wayand Errol is able to pass this message onto hisadmiring friends. From the front cover with Errolwearing a winner’s badge, we know that he willof course succeed. What he learns about himselfand elephants builds to an amazing, astoundingand flabbergasting climax. Errol’s emotions areexpressively conveyed in warm pastels as hetransforms into a confident, happy elephant.

Carolyn Boyd

Elliott, RebeccaJust Because Lion, 2010, pp32, £5.99978 0 7459 6235 1

The heart has its reasons, but in Toby’s case, hecan’t put them into words. Toby loves his youngsister, Clemmie, for who she is – ‘just because’ –rather than because of what she can do. Clemmieis severely mentally and psychologicallyhandicapped. As he says, she’s a bit like a princessreally; they don’t have to do much. Clemmie’svery presence in Toby’s life is enough. Toby maynot be able to explain why time shared withClemmie is especially enjoyable and rewarding,but as the pages turn we can see that he delightsin the games he invents and plays in hercompany. His enthusiasms carry them both alongand whatever response he has from her, heinterprets positively. Despite the underlyingseriousness of the theme Elliott’s approach isthrough humour. Her illustrations in juicy,textured, painterly cartooning with cheerfulsaturated colour are an appropriate symbol forToby’s take on life. Why not buy a copy for theclassroom bookshelf ... ‘just because’?

Jane Doonan

Faundez, Anne and Littlewood,KarinThe Day the Rains FellTamarind, 2010, pp30, £5.99978 1 848 53015 7

Lindiwe visits the Earth with her daughter, Thandi,to show her all the beautiful plants and animalsbut notices that they are sad and droopy becausethey have no water. She then sets about creatingwater holes so that when it rains they will befilled and the Earth will be well again.

The soft watercolour illustrations are wonderful,adding to the text, expanding the story, and arevaried and interesting.They make good use ofthe page with differentperspectives ranging fromvast open plains to close-ups of Thandi makingbeads and her motherlooking down on the

Under 8Earth. The drawings also give the animalscharacter and invoke a sense of the hot dryAfrican sub-Sahara, with the colours changingfrom sizzling reds and oranges to vibrant bluesand purples as the story progresses. A lovelyAfrican creation story aimed at younger readersup to age 7, it also has two information pagesabout making clay pots and beads.

Barbara Band

Fromental, Jean-Luc and Jolivet,JoëlleOops!Translated by Thomas Connors

Abrams, 2010, pp38, £10.99978 0 8109 8749 4

Going on holidays is supposed to be fun, but forone Parisian family their holiday adventure startsrather badly as soon as they’re ready to set off.Suddenly they have to face a chain of crazyobstacles which delay their journey to the airport:they find themselves stuck in a huge traffic jam,experience delays on the tube, run into elephantsblocking the streets, get involved in a film shootin the middle of the city, and so on, and so forth,and it takes a bunch of friendly aliens to helpthem finally reach their destination.

Oops! is a funny – and fun – book created by thesame duo who gave us the terrific 365 Penguins.It’s a great book which can be used for all sorts ofmemory and observation games, and on top ofthat, the slapstick nature of its events will makeyou laugh out loud. The quirky and fairly abstractillustrations (which for some reason make methink that the book would feel very much athome at the Tate Modern bookstore) and thebook’s impressive format (it is a very largepublication) also make it stand out – also literally– so it is bound to attract attention. Interestinglyand very appropriately, Oops! is dedicated toRube Goldberg, an American cartoonist andinventor famous for drawing and creatingcomplicated machines designed to perform verysimple tasks.

Marzena Currie

Fuge, Charles and Conway, DavidBedtime Hullabaloo!Hodder, 2010, pp32, £10.99978 0 340 98125 2

A bedtime story for the early years, told in rhymewith alliteration aplenty and a catchy rhythmthrown in for good measure, but there’s adifference: we’re not in a cosy English home,we’re in the Silly Savannah with ludicrousleopards and hat-wearing hyenas, who cannot getto sleep because of an appalling racket thatshatters the peace. Expectations are upset whenthe large beasts eventually discover who iscausing all the trouble, a nicely pointed contrastbetween the volume of noise and the tinyperpetrator.

Eagle-eyed youngsterswill delight in thedetails of thesplendid, colourfulillustrations, full oflovely humoroustouches such as thepaw-print lamp in

leopard’s bedroom, his leopard print bedcover, themotif on giraffe’s mug of bedtime cocoa, baboon’sbedtime reading material, not to mention themarvellous expressions on all the animals’ faces,from the sleepwalking lion, the outraged ostrichand the befuddled warthog to the bewilderedbaboon tossed unceremoniously from hishammock. However, the zany shrew in her tutustill has the last word in a joyous surprise ending.

Angela Redfern

Hadithi, Mwenye and Kennaway,AdrienneBumping BuffaloHodder, 2010, pp32, £10.99978 0 340 98935 7

Hooray! Another book in the ‘African Folk Tale’series by the well-known award-winningpartnership of Hadithi and Kennaway. As alwaystheir books are beautiful to look at and to feel,and perfect for reading aloud to a class. Theillustrations here in gorgeous, glowing colours aresuperb and right away the reader is drawn in tothe heat of the African plains along with thecharacters. Buffalo, with his tough horns and wideforehead pad, has the ideal equipment forcharging into things. He bumps his way round allthe other animals, elephants, rhinos, even rocksand baobab trees, ‘looking for trouble’, until oneday when he encounters a pack of wild dogs in acave. And do they know how to attack and tohurt! They are much more trouble than Buffalohad bargained for. As a result, he becomes areformed character after that … well, almost.

Bumping Buffalo, in my view, is not quite up therewith the best of them, Hot Hippo or CraftyChameleon, for example, but a very entertainingread nevertheless.

Angela Redfern

Helmore, Jim and Wall, KarenHold on Tight, Stripy Horse!Egmont, 2010, pp30, £10.99978 1 4052 4826 6

Another tale from the bric-a-brac shop beginswith wet and windy magic. Stripy Horse and thegang have to don wet weather gear as the rainstarts to fall inside the shop. A gale blows uplifting Ella, Stripy Horse and Herman into the air.The trio are blown towards the storm in thepicture. They land on the shelf where they watchthe flood waters below and the weathervaneparrot, stuck facing north, who is the cause of therain. It’s up to the trio to hatch a rescue plan. They

have to work together to fix the weathervane andsave Pitch and Roly, before they can finally relaxin front of the tropical sunshine picture. Actionand adventure fills the pages. The colourful tonesof Ella the flamingo umbrella, Herman’spatchwork patterns, the cranky parrot and ofcourse Stripy Horse stand out well against thewatery and sunny backgrounds. The parrot helpsthe plot along with encouraging phrases: ‘ALL’SWELL THAT ENDS WELL!’ This is great fun to readaloud and for young children to follow the storyfor themselves through the pictures.

Wendy Worley

Hodgkinson, JoThe Talent ShowAndersen, 2010, pp32, £10.99978 1 84939 046 0

This is a debut picturebook from Jo Hodgkinson,who like her characters, has an abundance oftalent. The themes she explores are theimportance of not judging by appearances, andthe merit of trying again if at first you don’tsucceed. Bear, Lion, Croc, and Snake form a bandto see if they can win a talent contest. They needa singer, but Bird, who shows up for an auditionis turned down point blank; he’s deemed to bemuch too small. The band has forgotten that birdsare very good at singing. Bird gives them achance to remember when he re-appears in atowering disguise, and warbles his way to success.The text beats to the bar in rhyming couplets, andthe frames change scale in syncopated rhythmsacross the page spreads; you can almost hear themusic. The animals’ expressions – just a few dotsand lines – display a huge range of humanfeelings: attentive, admiring, scornful, bewitched,bemused, apprehensive, embarrassed, and proud.At the end of a perfect performance – play itagain Croc – all you can wish for are encoresgalore from Hodgkinson. Brava!

Jane Doonan

Hodgson, Karen and Collins, RossHugh’s Blue DayHogs Back Books, 2010, pp24, £5.99 978 1 907432 00 2

Hodgson, Karen and Lambert,Sally AnneThe Teeny-Weeny Walking StickHogs Back Books, 2010, pp28, £5.99 978 1 907432 02 6

Hodgson, Karen and Madalina,DinaThe Robot Who Couldn’t CryHogs Back Books, 2010, pp28, £5.99978 1 907432 01 9

Madness, the commercially-minded marketingpersons will proclaim, to simultaneously publishthree picture books by the same author is justcrazy! It’s likely any reviewer who does give


Under 8coverage will simply and logically pick on just oneof the three to review! But I like this crazy simplybecause it is so self evident that great care andattention to detail has been given to each book,to the choice of good illustrators and the totalpresentation. I hope that this particular madnessgoes against the sometimes limiting vision ofretail wisdom and proves to be a success. Allthree books have appeal for the 3 or 4 to 6ishages and to take them in a rough age ordermakes sense. Hugh’s Blue Day involves a smallboy in a grumpy ‘don’t want to’ mood. His wisemother goes with the flow and imaginatively, andenjoyably, ensures everything in his day turnsblue, even to stories of Bluelocks and Little BlueRiding Hood. The accompanying pictures,interspersed with segments of text, are lively andexuberant, they add detail and focus throughout.

In The Teeny-Weeny Walking Stick a small boykeeps interrupting his older sister with a sequenceof assurances that he’s found evidence of littlepeople at the bottom of the garden. She is far tooworldly to be deceived by his visions for thewalking stick, hat, slippers and a wing he bringsher. Yet in the end when she leaves thepracticality of her sums homework for her owndreams then it is that a maybe creeps in. Theartwork for this book is soft, subtle and homelywith gentle colouring and lines.

The third book features Rusty (a sad name in thecircumstance) whose friends can all cry but he, asa robot, cannot. Sorrowful music, a weepy story,chopping onions: nothing works untiluncontrollable laughter sets in, the logic may beloose but the story works. These illustrations, by aRomanian artist, are fun, they are fittingly quirkywith well realised exaggerations and colouringmoving from rich warmth, vividly and cheekilycontrasting with the early pages of text, to blue-greens building up contrarily to the laughter.

Chris Brown

Hoffman, Mary and Asquith, RosThe Great Big Book of FamiliesFrances Lincoln, 2010, pp32, £11.99978 1 84507 999 4

Families nowadays can come in all shapes andsizes, and this picture book is an entertaining lookat all those possibilities, from the traditional toone-parent, same-sex, adopted and step. It alsocovers the kinds of homes families can live in,work, holidays, school, food, pets, celebrations,hobbies, feelings - there’s something for everyonein this truly multicultural exploration. RosAsquith’s illustrations are witty and wonderful, fullof small details on every page for parent (orteacher) and child readers to talk about, as forexample on the ‘Jobs’ page, where the mainpictures are bordered by lots of items connectedwith work – a saw, scissors, computer, brush, iron,stethoscope etc. An excellent choice for theprimary school library.

Gerry McSourley

Hudson, Cheryl Willis andVelasquez, EricMy Friend Maya Loves To DanceAbrams, 2010, pp32, £9.99978 0 8109 8328 1

This picture book tells the story of Maya and herlove of dance. She loves all aspects of dance fromballet to street dance. Maya is shown in a widevariety of circumstances from church to shoppingmall and the idea that dance is totally integratedinto her life is explored.

The text is short and often rhyming, and whilstcommenting on the pictures and explaining someof the ballet moves, it is subordinate to thepictures themselves. The colour palette is quitedark with only three full page spreads having alight background. This gives a somewhatsophisticated feel to the images, but fails toreflect the exuberance that she is supposed to befeeling when she dances. The images themselvesare well crafted, but often miss that sense ofmovement which we should get. This isparticularly obvious in the picture of her ‘Jete’,which appears somewhat posed and lacking inanimation.

The story is told from the perspective of Maya’sfriend and at the end of the story there is apicture of the two young girls, one of whom is ina wheelchair. The message of the book is thateveryone can enjoy dance either as a participantor as a spectator. The book can be read forenjoyment to young children and can be usedwith KS2 to discuss aspects of PSHE.

Margaret Pemberton

Hughes, ShirleyDon’t Want To Go!Bodley Head, 2010, pp32, £10.99978 0 370 32962 8

Don’t Want To Go! is a delightful new tale fromthe Grande Dame of children’s literature. The bookintroduces a new character, Lily, who wakes upone morning to the news that her mum is ill inbed with flu. Daddy has to go to work so Lily is togo to Melanie’s house to play. Shirley Hughesdeals with Lily’s reluctance at going to a newhouse, meeting new people and generally dealingwith new experiences in her usual warm andinimitable style. When Lily arrives at Melanie’s shemeets baby Sam, his older brother Jack and dogRingo. Lily soon overcomes her reservations andwhen dad comes to collect her she doesn’t wantto leave! Don’t want to go! maintains Hugheshigh standard ofillustrations andnarrative and will beenjoyed by all but willbe particularly wellreceived by fans of herother classic titles Alfieand Dogger.

Frances Breslin

Jones, Lis and Coplestone, JimA Walk in the Wild WoodsFrances Lincoln, 2010, pp32, £11.99978 1 84507 956 7

Ruby and her toy rabbit Rabby are scared of thefox, but her daddy looks after Ruby and, as ithappens, the fox looks after Rabby. A happyending, as would be expected, and anotherexample from children’s literature of the big badfox being, well, not so big and not so bad.

The style of this book is typical Jones; a gentlerhythm, a cuddly friend and a nice surprise at theend. Coplestone’s illustrations are charming andshow more emotion in the characters that the textdescribes; perfect for children. A nice story.

Rebecca Carter

Kemp, Anna and Ogilvie, SaraDogs Don’t Do BalletSimon & Schuster, 2010, pp32, £5.99978 1 84738 474 4

Quirky and novel, and I suppose that is the pointof book and title. Humorous illustrations maintainthe tone as the little girl struggles to convince adoubting world that her dog does do ballet. Ofcourse the two of them prove the world wrong asBiff, the Pug gets a standing ovation for his tourde force on stage as a last minute replacementfor the injured ballerina. Obviously every ballet-dancing girl with a pet dog will love the idea, butperhaps the appeal is wider than just that. Thelanguage is not simplified for this is not a teachyou to read book. This is a parent and child readtogether, laugh together and have fun withpicture, story and words sort of a book. This is tobe enjoyed repeatedly at bedtime or whenever abook can be shared between adult and child.

Nick Hunt

Krebs, Laurie and Wilson, AnneWe’re Roaming in the RainforestBarefoot, 2010, pp32, £11.99978 1 84686 330 1

This Amazon adventure is a story told in rhyme ofa journey through the rainforest spotting en routeparrots, monkeys, sloths, pink river dolphins, hugebutterflies, caimans, dart frogs, leaf-cutter ants,spiders, lizards, snakes, geckos and otters. Fromstart to finish in glorious technicolour, the book isa magnificent feast for the eye. The endpapers areexquisite and set the tone for what follows.Careful, vibrant depictions of each of thecreatures and the surrounding vegetation willencourage children to draw and paint their ownpictures.

This is not just a storybook, however, it is also ateaching tool about the current situation in theAmazon region. Much factual information isprovided after the story ends about thegeography of the area, including a large map ofSouth America, about the Amazonian rainforest


Under 8itself and the people andcreatures who inhabit it.Perhaps most importantly,there is also a section onconservation. A marvellousstarting point for a full-blown project across thecurriculum for KS2, this book will serve just aswell at KS1 as an initial exploration of life aroundthe Amazon.

Angela Redfern

Manham, Allan and Dann, PennyThe Giant Carrot Orchard, 2010, pp32, £10.99978 1 84362 591 9

This version of the well-loved Russian folk talehas been updated and made even more palatableby swapping an enormous carrot for thetraditional giant turnip. It is a cumulative tale witha progression of people and animals joining Jack,who has grown the giant carrot, in his attempt topull it up. He is a grandfatherly figure, joined firstby his friend Bertha, then by two children and anassortment of animals in descending order of sizeuntil, as in Tolstoy’s version, a mouse joins thetug-of-war and with that the carrot shoots out ofthe ground to end most satisfyingly as soup foreveryone involved. It is a most attractive book,with cheerful characters and a bright yet light andairy feel to the palette.

Dann makes judicious use of collage in herillustration, using both photographic images oftextiles for clothing and what look like old gardenplant prints of the type one might find in 19thcentury seed catalogues. She plays with scale(clearly indicated by the theme of giantvegetables) in her illustrations but in a subtle way.Do I detect a nod to the early botanical drawingsof the likes of Maria Sibylla Merian and herfollowers? The effect is entirely fresh and modernand this is a great picturebook just waiting to beread aloud to a young audience.

Lucinda Jacob

McAllister, Angela and Smith, Alex T.My Mum Has X-ray VisionScholastic, 2010, pp32, £6.99978 1 407105 38 3

Milo is so impressed by his Mum’s ability to seewhen he is up to mischief (we see what Milo isup to in his imaginative play), even when she is ina different room, that he is convinced she must bea superhero. He hides in the wardrobe to test herpowers, but Mum takes so long heroically seeingthrough a lorry and saving her next-doorneighbour from a nasty fall, that he loses faith inher ability to see him through doors. However, atthe end of the book, as she shouts after him toremove that packet of crisps from up his jumper,he and his friend Lola agree that she must haveeyes in the back of her head.

It will probably help to say that Milo and hisglamorous Mum appear to be of Afro-Caribbeanorigin, and that the other Mums, although mostlydressed in dustercoats and suits reminiscent ofthe Fifties, include one with a South Asian bindion her forehead and a dupatta draped across hershoulders.

The short period in which a child is utterlyimpressed with a parent is surely to be treasured,and this story told with gentle humour andcartoon illustrations (note Milo imagining hisMum as Wonderwoman) will be fun to read andshare.

Diana Barnes

McKee, DavidDenverAndersen, 2010, pp32, £10.99978 1 84270 963 4

Denver is a very wealthy man who lives in a verynice village, until a nasty gossip unsettles thebalance. Denver’s reaction to the gossip is tomaintain his generosity and spirit and to carry ondoing what he loves; painting. The villagers,meanwhile, discover the important truth; thatmoney does not bring happiness.

A book that has been criticised by some forhaving a political agenda; this is, in actual fact,classic McKee; another colourful and quirkycharacter with a clear moral message within a funand interesting story. What better way is there toteach our children to have high moral standardsand decent core values? In a society that is asmaterialistic as ours; McKee provides a perfectmessage to our young and impressionablegeneration.

Perhaps in the next book, should there be one,Denver could tackle the issues of bullying,incessant text messaging and social networkingwebsites; and then we really would be gettingsomewhere!

Rebecca Carter

Montanari, Eva The Alphabet FamilyMeadowside, 2010, pp32, £5.99978 1 84539 405 9

Mummy A would like to tell a story, so she goeson a journey where she meets various unusualcreatures – all characters or letters from thealphabet. As her journey continues, so does thevariety of situations that she encounters, thanksto the rich imagination of Montanari. For it is not

just members of thealphabet that the readerwill enjoy, but whathappens to the letters,what each one does, andthe differingcircumstances one meetspage after page. This is


New EditionsOliver Who Travelled Far and Wide (09) byMara Bergman and Nick Maland, a Booktrustearly years winner, is a night time search for amissing teddy which ranges across sea, jungleand ice in an intrepid adventure. Hodder,£5.99, 978 0 340 98164 1. Way back in 1970Quentin Blake gave me a copy of his thennew book Angelo when we were both guestsat a school. I’m delighted to find that thedelights of the book are not just nostalgicmemory as it really is terrific as the travellingacrobatic player Angelo puts his entertainingtalents to very good use. Red Fox, £5.99, 9781 849 41046 5. Quentin’s distinctly joyfulpicturing also adorns the story of The Bear’sWater Picnic (69) by John Yeoman. The noiseof frogs disturbs the peace but then in a crisisit is these same creatures who save the dayand the picnic, and friendships, are restored.Andersen, £5.99, 978 1 84939 004 0.

Another classic name in illustration is that ofMichael Foreman, Dinosaur Time (02) has Tomtransported by a kitchen timer into prehistoryand most of the dinosaurs are not at allfriendly. But all turns out safely and with sometouching understanding too. Andersen, £5.99,978 1 84939 047 7.

A number of paperback picture booksfeaturing small girls have arrived together.Another splendid Daisy episode comes fromKes Gray and Nick Sharratt in You Do! (03) asirascible Daisy again explains home truths toher Mum. This charming story is also told onan attached CD read by Jenny Éclair. Red Fox,£6.99, 978 1 862 30662 2. Another livelyyoungster appears in Don’t Dip Your Chips inYour Drink, Kate! (09) by Caryl Hart and LeighHodgkinson. A multitude of text devicesemphasise the action as Kate’s manners get asudden lesson when she goes for tea with theQueen. Orchard, £5.99, 978 1 40830 498 3.Red Fox have published an absolute plethoraof books of the gentle island based storiesabout the delightful lass Katie Morag,altogether a lovely creation from MairiHedderwick. Titles and formats vary from fourcomplete picture books combined into MoreKatie Morag Island Stories. £9.99, 978 1 84941090 8, to individual books such as KatieMorag Delivers the Mail (94) when themuddled up mail is sorted and delivered bytractor with the aid of Katie and, of course,Grannie Island. £5.99, 978 1 849 41091 5.Suzy Sue and her animal friends reappear inAtchoo! (09) by Mij Kelly and MaryMcQuillan. Here Sue learns how it would beso much kinder towards her friends if she’dbother to use a hanky, basic essentials of aguide to life in picture-book form. Hodder,£5.99, 978 0 340 94526 1.

Under 8not a book to be read once only, but one to beturned back to many times – there is alwayssomething else begging to be noticed. And just asyou think the story is over, Montanari springs onemore surprise on the reader! This book is wellworth poring over and sharing, and will beequally at home in the classroom or library orwherever.

Rudolf Loewenstein OP

Murray, AlisonApple Pie ABCOrchard, 2010, pp32, £10.99978 1 40830 801 1

A first picture book fromthis writer/illustrator, thisis more of a story than atraditional ABC, thuscreating many talkingpoints to share with ayoung child. A little girlbakes an apple pie,which her dog is determined to share. (In the endof course he does!)

The page layout is uncluttered with minimal useof words, which lets the illustrations speak forthemselves. The style has a retro 1970s feel withflat clearly drawn shapes using a limited range ofmatt colour and minimal shading.

Very enjoyable for both the reader and theirrecipient!

Dianne Southcombe

Myron, Vicki and Witter, Bret withJames, SteveDewey: There’s a Cat in the Library!Simon & Schuster, 2010, pp32, £5.99978 1 84738 814 8

Based on a true story, a small marmalade kittenarrives in the return box of the library in Spencer,Iowa, USA, one cold winter night. Adopted bylibrarian Vicki Myron and affectionately namedDewey Readmore Books, he quickly establisheshimself as the library cat. Dewey’s playfulness,inquisitiveness and affectionate nature win himfriends throughout the establishment. Dewey isparticularly popular with the library’s youngestvisitors and seems to have a natural gift ofempathy for those who need encouragement. Thetherapeutic advantage of animals in social centresis well-known and the real-life Dewey spent 16happy years in Spencer Public Library.

The attractive full colour illustrations have aphotographic quality while the children reflect avariety of backgrounds. Paw print end papers arewell-matched to this heart-warming story. Aslightly retro cover doesn’t do justice to the story.The observation that Dewey ‘read with themummies and grandmas [and] helped the daddieswork’ may well be true but could be interpretedas gender stereotyping in a 21st century library.

Nonetheless this is an endearing read which willappeal to children under eight and librarians/cat-lovers of all ages.

Rosemary Woodman

Naidoo, Beverley and Das,ProdeeptaS is for South AfricaFrances Lincoln, 2010, pp24, £11.99978 1 84780 018 3

The timing of this book is excellent with childrenbeing intrigued and fascinated by South Africadue to the FIFA World Cup. It is a beautifulalphabet book with a real difference and ispacked full of photographs and informative text.

For example: ‘Nn is for Ndebele house painting,taught by mother to daughter. No rulers forstraight lines needed here! How skilfully hand andeye show land and sky and secret signs unknownto passers-by.’

Children will come away from this book with anappreciation for the landscape and culture ofSouth Africa. It stands alone but it is also awelcome addition to the highly acclaimed WorldAlphabet Series. It carefully deals with suchsubjects as apartheid and promotes a positivevision for the future. A welcome addition to anylibrary

Rebecca Chappell

Newton, Jill Crash Bang Donkey!Gullane, 2010, pp32, £10.99978 1 86233 720 6

Aimed at 3 to 6-year-olds, this large-formatpicture-story book, impressively illustrated by theauthor with a kind of humorous extravagance,tells the tale of a donkey who makes music with awide range of instruments. He disturbs otheranimals. He deeply irritates Farmer Gruff. It maywell be that some of the youngest readers may beless than familiar with the few ‘jazzy’ languageelements within the text. However, that said, theyoungsters who are lucky enough to meet thebook will see that the donkey’s skills areeventually put to a purpose that Farmer Gruffreadily welcomes.

Trevor Dickinson

Rayner, CatherineNorris: The Bear Who SharedOrchard, 2010, pp32, £10.99978 1 84616 308 1

A new picture book from Catherine Rayner mustalways now be an event. She firmly establishedher position among our leading young illustratorswith the Greenaway award for Harris Finds HisFeet. Earlier her tiger Augustus and his search forhis lost smile won the hearts of many youngreaders. Norris, the bear, can safely join that

pantheon of charming animals. He is asentimental old fellow and despite his greatpatience in waiting for his favourite fruit - aplorringe - to fall from the tree, he is still preparedto share its deliciousness with two small animalswho have been waiting a little less patiently. Heknows, and the artistrysuggests he is a knowingold bear, that sharinghelps to createfriendships.

The story will make agreat bedtime read,


New Editionscontinued

The name of Satoshi Kitamura on a bookis now synonymous with expectations ofan unusual treat and Millie’s MarvellousHat (09) is just that. Whatever head-wearMillie adopts, and some are fabulous,appears to influence, and be influenced by,her immediate surroundings which then inturn starts off a fashionable trend,brilliant. Andersen, £5.99, 978 1 84270948 1.

The Koala-like cuddly toy Arthur is the veryspecial comfort and joy of Bella soBedtime Without Arthur (09) threatens tobe a disaster with good dreams banishedand only monstrous possibilities to intrude,but all ends with peace in this lovely bookby Jessica Meserve. Andersen, £5.99, 9781 84270 943 6. Have You Ever Seen aSneep? (09) by Tasha Pym and JoelStewart also has such fun spoilers as aSnock, a Grullock and even a Knoo in agentle rhyming amusement. Picture Corgi,£5.99, 978 0 552 55698 9. A cautionarytale is Super Dooper Jezebel (09) by TonyRoss; a perfect in every way small girl,surrounded by misbehaviours to delightreaders, finally gets her come-uppance.Andersen, £5.99, 978 1 84939 016 3.

Best friends, identical in tastes except interms of trepidation are quirky dog andcat couple Bella and Monty: A Hairy ScaryNight (09) by Alex T. Smith. One friendguides the other through all night-timefears and even phobia of a classroomspider. Hodder, £5.99, 978 0 340 959848. A rhyming text and humorous picturesmake for great amusement, and a terrificreadaloud, in Crocodiles Are the BestAnimals of All! (09) by Sean Taylor andHannah Shaw as crocodile tries to showthat anything they can do he can dobetter. Frances Lincoln, £6.99, 978 1 84780 132 6.

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short enough to be read twice and then talkedabout. The book is for very young children butmany in the reception class will enjoy hearingabout Norris and his plorringe and, perhaps, wantto think and talk about the original illustrations.Catherine Rayner’s illustrations will alwaysintrigue, sometimes even puzzle, but children willrespond to them enthusiastically, especially with agood storyline. Her illustrative work is strongenough to carry a book but it should beremembered that a wholly successful picture bookalso needs an absorbing and strong text.

Michael Holloway

Rickards, Lynne and Wildish, LeeJacob O’Reilly Wants a PetHodder, 2010, pp32, £10.99978 0 340 98838 1

Jake, like many a child we have all come across, isdesperate to own a pet. He tries every trick in thebook to persuade his parents to comply. He isvery flexible, it has to be said, willing to consideranything – a cat, a dog, a hamster, a gerbil, amouse, an iguana, (and getting more outrageousas his desperation increases,) an emu and even awalrus! His parents are not for turning, however,and come up with a wily solution of their own: apet-sitting service. After two weeks of caring for apython, some donkeys, some sheep, a horse, azebra, some rabbits, hares, and goodness knowswhat else, Jake is more than happy to settle for anice slow snail! The endpapers alone will lendthemselves to hours of poring over and everypage encourages close attention with lots toabsorb and discuss. The text is written in rhymewith a recurring refrain and youngsters will beeager to join in after a few readings. This bookwill be a welcome addition for a project on petsand will appeal not only to Nursery and KS1 butlower KS2 as well.

Angela Redfern

Souhami, JessicaThe Sticky Doll TrapFrances Lincoln, 2010, pp32, £11.99978 1 8478 0017 6

This is a delightful picture book story of a cunninghare who tricks and out manoeuvres the monkey,the hyena, the hog and the leopard. It is a skilfulretelling of a West African tale, upon which theUncle Remus Brer Rabbit story was based. Thetext uses the natural rhythms and repetitions ofan oral storyteller to bring this traditional folk taleto life. Small children will love the cheeky, lazyhare and his crafty ways. The illustrations arebright and bold, with a distinct, collage feel tothem. They have an energy and an animatedquality which reflect the author’s background inshadow puppets. This is a wonderfully engagingbook which adults will enjoy sharing with 3 to 7-year-olds.

Sophie Smiley

Stanley, Malaika Rose and Wilson-Max, KenBaby Ruby BawledTamarind, 2010, pp24, £5.99978 1 848 53017 1

A humorous and tenderfamily story with specialparent appeal: a daily dramaplayed out so often in reallife. Yes, Ruby is one of thosebabies who won’t sleep andwho certainly don’t want to be put to bed, so shecries non-stop. The whole family is called in oneafter the other to try to get Ruby to go to sleep –Mum, Dad, Nana, Grandad, Uncle Clyde, even adoctor, but to no avail. You name it, they havetried it – Ruby has been bathed, fed, drivenaround in the car, walked round the garden,rocked and played with until brother Theo has hadenough. He makes up a song of his own to lullher to sleep. Of course, readers are expecting himto do the trick but… oh no, everyone else fallsasleep exhausted while Ruby lies awake taking itall in. The large, bold illustrations in strong coloursare simple yet striking and suit the text well.Nursery and KS1 children will love it.

Angela Redfern

Stewart, Joel Dexter Bexley and the Big BlueBeastie on the RoadDoubleday, 2010, pp32, £10.99978 0 385 61772 7

Dexter Bexley and the Big Blue Beastie return fora second instalment of their adventures. The mostunlikely pair are, this time, on the road. This is aglorious story packed full of colour and humour inboth the text and full-page, full-colour illustration.

Dexter and the Beastie have been thrown out oftown because their hooting is keeping everyoneawake. They love their hooting and can’t stopbecause they are not sleepy and well, there is just‘so much hooting to do.’ Venturing into the deepdark forest they soon stumble on an adventure.Firstly they have to awaken a beautiful princessfrom her slumber then they must hunt down andslay a ‘frightful dragon.’ Never afraid of thechallenge an unlikely team of Dexter, the Beastieand the princess set off in search of adventureand what turns out to be a tap dancing dragon.

Packed full of humour and unlikely exploits, this isa charming take on fairytales. Packed with fun andlots of hooting, it is a perfectly surprising bedtimestory for reading to young children. Older,independent readers will enjoy the way in whichspoken word and narrative text have beenseparated – spoken text is in speech bubbles andthe narrative is used as a supportive text. Much ofthe additional information, is, as one would expectfrom any picture book author and illustrator to befound in the glorious page-filling illustrations.

Louise Ellis-Barrett

Walton, RuthLet’s Bake a Cake (Let’s Find Out)Watts, 2010, pp30, £11.99978 0 7496 8854 7

This is a recipe book with a difference; it endswith the recipe for the cake but rather than fillingthe pages with a wealth of recipes for differentcakes it describes each ingredient. Sugar, Eggs,Cocoa, Flour, Butter are each explained in such away that the child will learn where they comefrom and what processes are required before theycan be added to the mixture. Some history of theingredients, the concept of Fairtrade and manyother issues are included in this clever book. It islavishly illustrated in an engaging manner andwould intrigue a girl browsing in the school libraryduring a rainy playtime, could be a valuable toolfor a motivated parent to use with her child but isnot designed to be a text for a food lesson. Theglossary is as thorough as one expects fromFranklin Watts, who deserve their place as arespected and consistent producer of informationtexts.

Nick Hunt

Wood, Douglas and Pham, LeUyenAunt Mary’s RoseCandlewick Press, 2010, pp32, £11.99978 0 7636 1090 6

Aunt Mary’s Rose is based on the life changingmoments of the author himself. Being fromMinnesota, there are a number of Americanismswhich may need explanation such as ‘fawcett’,‘Band Aid ‘ and ‘jelly’. Douglas whilst at his Aunt’shouse is asked to look after the rose bush so thathe can become part of it and it part of him.Douglas struggles to understand this concept sohis Aunt recalls childhood memories in order toexplain. She reminisces about their family, its joysand sorrows over the years and how eachperson’s tending of the rose bush makes her feelcloser to them, even though they are no longerhere. Despite its uplifting ending I can’t help butfeel that this is a very sad and moving story,however, I do believe it contains some usefullessons about coping with loss. It is beautifullywritten and has a gentle soothing pace which iscomplimented by the subtle illustrations of Pham.The book would be suitable for KS1 and 2 but itdoes touch on some tricky themes for youngerreaders/listeners such as adoption, death and war,which may need explanation.

Elizabeth Baskeyfield

Under 8

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8 to 12 Fiction

Barker, DominicAdam and the ArkonautsBloomsbury, 2010, pp313, £5.99978 1 4088 0025 6

Never having known hismother, who was abductedby the evil ProfessorScabellax ten years before,Adam has searched theworld for her in thecompany of his father,Doctor Will Forest, on theiryacht, The Ark of theParabola. They have foundtheir way to Buenos Sueños, the most isolatedSouthern American city on earth, whose citizensare noted for their siestas and where everymember of the police force appears to be calledGrivas (a name shared with the undertakers).

Adam and his father speak Animal fluently, andtheir crew of animals, the Arkonauts, includeamong others Sima the spider monkey whoargues against Darwinism, Malibu the catconstantly catching up on his winks of sleep, whohas undergone the Twelve Paw Programme oftherapy, and Vlad the vampire bat who fliesaround in a sombrero during the day.

Inevitably, Doctor Dolittle springs to mind, but astory that has its villain appearing on page 5dressed in an immaculately pressed brown suit, inthe middle of the Amazonian jungle, suggests acertain nonchalant originality.

This tall tale continues in similar vein, withnumerous running jokes – the SAS (Special AntServices), with its single conscientious objector, isa delight – contributing to the fun and themomentum of the action.

Professor Scabellax with his plans for worlddomination by means of this Dreadful Alarmwhich keeps people awake until they becomezombies performing the Hokey Cokey to order is aBond villain, and the showdown in the heart of amountain reminiscent of one of the Bond films.

All told, the complete conviction with which thestory is told, its zany logic, the swift-moving seriesof events and convoluted comic dialogue shouldappeal to any reader with a sense of theridiculous – this reader was laughing – and theopen ending suggests that a sequel might follow.

Peter Andrews

Barlow, Steve and Skidmore, SteveReturn to the Lost WorldUsborne, 2010, pp312, £5.99978 1 4095 2017 7

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s story of an expedition toan inaccessible South American plateau wheredinosaurs are still living is given a sequel in this

action-packed adventure, in which ProfessorChallenger’s 14-year-old grandson Luke returns tothe lost world his grandfather discovered. Withechoes of Alec Rider, and set in 1933, the booksees Luke and his best friend Nick come upagainst a murderous secret society which plans totake over the world, and which is exploiting thediamonds found on the plateau, enslaving itsnative Indians to work the mine.

Luke is a hero who will appeal especially to boys,and they will also appreciate the blood-and-gutsplot (particularly when the dinosaurs attack!).

Gerry McSourley

Beardsley, MartynBlack DeathIllustrated by Martin Remphry

Barrington Stoke (FYI), 2010, pp60, £5.99978 1 84299 765 9

The cover of this Barrington Stoke book statesthat is it ‘fiction with stacks of facts’ and indeedthere is plenty of information included in this storyof orphans Will and Anne. When the Black Deathcomes to their village, people blame the sailorsnewly arrived from France – of whom Will is one.Cast out by their uncle and aunt and driven out ofthe nearby town, they wander the countrysidelooking for safety before being taken in by akindly old farmer and his wife. The story is slight –the book is less than 60 pages long – but itworks well to convey the basic facts about theBlack Death without the information getting inthe way of the narrative. For instance thesymptoms of the disease are listed breathlesslyand with salacious delight by a small boy. Thesuperstition and fear of the villagers is shown intheir dialogue without too much explanation, andthe book does not gloss over the serious natureof its topic.

The illustrations are in familiar cartoon style yetthe period detail is accurate and they often add tothe information in the story. On one page, Anne isreferred to as playing with a cup and ball and theaccompanying illustration makes it perfectly clearwhat this is without need for further detail in thetext. At the end of the book a section of BlackDeath Facts expands on the informationcontained in the story and goes into a little moredetail about Black Death in Europe. A usefuladdition to the primary school library.

Lesley Martin

Binch, Caroline Road HorseFrances Lincoln, 2010, pp159, £5.99978 1 84780 070 1

Sammy is the member of a traveller family whosefather races trotting horses. It is Sammy’s greatestdream to own a horse of his own, but he doesnot think it will ever happen, until his fatherannounces that they are going to attend Appleby

Fair; the greatest horsefair in the country.

This is the story of thejourney to the event, thepeople they meet, theprejudice they encounterand the fair itself.

Caroline Binch haswritten a charming storyexplaining some of the historic ways of travellingfamilies. It is well illustrated by Caroline herselfand the pictures complement the storythroughout. It is unfortunate that the text itselftakes a while to flow. The first few chapters feelquite stilted and the message seems to beoverwhelming the story. However it doeseventually settle and we get a vivid picture of theexcitement of the fair.

This book works well, not just as a good story, butalso because it reflects the culture of a smallethnic community in this country. It can act as asource of discussion and is a welcome addition tothe small number of books dealing with travellingfamilies. The book is aimed at KS2, but will workwith able younger readers as well as those furtherup the school.

Margaret Pemberton

Brown, KateThe Spider Moon – Book 1David Fickling Books, 2010, pp72, £9.99978 0 385 61827 4

Here is a graphic style tale originally published asepisodes in the DFC Comic. The story is good andthe illustrations, frames and pages are extremelywell created. A girl from a doomed island racegains her diving permit, whilst returning from onesuch expedition she finds her parents have beentaken on board a transport ship to a distantKingdom. Using ingenuity she stows away,infiltrates the palace, finds an unexpected ally andtries to discover what is going on. Just as they arein position and beginning to overhear they arecaptured in mid-

And that’s it! It stops! The fact that the story andartwork are really well done promotingenjoyment, interest and involvement makes thestop, the wholly unexpected stop with nothing atall resolved, all the more of a let down. Yes it isclearly ‘Book 1’ but by convention any such bookhas some resolution whilst leaving matters to re-arise in the next volume. This book, as I said,stops – dead: in so doing it makes the reader feelcheated. Another graphic book from DFC, to bereviewed later, is the same price but has 18 morestory pages so this example might well have beenlonger and reached further into the tale. It isfrustrating to have such a terrific potential which Ican only recommend should be avoided for now;strange!

Chris Brown

Crossley, Sheena

8 to 12

8 to 12


Bats about WalesPont, 2010, pp64, £4.99978 1 84851 048 7

This is a delightful story which will really makeyou smile. It’s an adventure story with a bit of atwist and a great example of how geography canbe combined with literacy. A group of bats takeon board a mercy mission to help a poor lonelyFruit Bat called Freddy who wakes to find himselfin chilly Cardiff after falling asleep in a crate ofbananas aboard a ship in sunny St Lucia. Theyhelp him to fly the length of Wales, passing sightssuch as Castell Coch, The Royal WelshShowground, Cadair Idris and the Menai Strait onthe way so that he can catch a ship home. Thisbook is a must if you live in Wales but also perfectif you want to do some research on another placein the United Kingdom. The author was inspiredto write this book because she was fed up withthe negative press that bats receive. She wantedto show to the children through her story thatbats are often found in tight knit, loveable familygroups and she certainly achieves this. Witty linedrawings from illustrator Nicola Robinson, makethe book a very enjoyable and accessible read forchildren just starting out on chapter books.

Rebecca Chappell

Davies, CorinneRalph is (not) a SuperheroIllustrated by El Ashfield

RAL Publications, 2009, pp96, £7.99978 0 9556905 1 8

‘... everyone’s a superhero – in their ownspecial way It’s how we choose to USE our powers, That guides us on our way!’

Ralph avoids attention by sitting quietly reading.His other serious interest is playing chess.However this peaceful existence is disrupted by aseries of incidents which lead his classmates andeventually, adults as well, to believe that he hasspecial powers. The story is told in verse which ismost imaginatively laid outsometimes swirling across thepage in a great flourish, atothers presented in butterfly-shaped verses beforereturning to moreconventional arrangements.Ralph’s superheroexperiences, ranging from catrescue to preventing a bankrobbery, are brilliantly illustrated by El Ashfieldand complement the text with gusto! This is sucha fun book with an uplifting message for those ofus who feel we don’t quite fit in. Ralph is likely tobe a popular character and this has to be a highlyrecommended junior school read.

Mary Crawford

Deary, TerryPut Out the Light A & C Black, 2010, pp255, £5.99978 1 4081 3054 4

This is a thrilling tale following the adventures oftwo groups of children during World War II. This isa really substantial book which is a great exampleof history combining with literacy. Set in 1940 inwar-torn Sheffield, a brother and sister set out tosolve the mysteries of the air raid signals.Meanwhile in Dachau, Germany two boys comeup with a bold plan to bring an end to the warand help a Polish prisoner escape. As the reality ofwar strikes the children’s adventures becomequite terrifying as they fight to stay alive. Everychapter is a history lesson with the author payinggreat attention to detail leaving the childrenfeeling that they are experiencing the war firsthand.

Rebecca Chappell

Doyle, Malachy The Lambton Curse illustrated by Dylan Gibson

Barrington Stoke, 2010, pp50, £5.99 978 1 84299 757 4

Young Lambton (even when he is an adult he isstill referred to as Young Lambton!) is a rude,selfish boy who decides to go fishing one Sundayinstead of going to Church. When he pulls theWorm of the Wild from the river, he brings a curseonto his family. He cannot get rid of the Wormback into the river so throws it into the well andleaves hoping the curse is left behind also. But theWorm grows and feeds on livestock until thewhole village is destroyed. Even several knightswho try and kill the Worm are unsuccessful.Finally, young Lambton returns having found outhow to kill it, part of which involves killing thefirst thing he sees after he has attacked theWorm. Unfortunately that is his father...

This old folk tale is a strange mixture in thistelling as it is set on an estate with a Lord of theManor and knights, a lifestyle that most childrenmay not be able to identify with and yet they willfind it is a very scary story. The Worm seemsfrighteningly real, especially as the text has somewonderful black and white graphic illustrations.Published by Barrington Stoke under their‘Reloaded’ series, this would make a goodaddition to the quick read section of the library.

Barbara Band

Duncan, CharlieGastronimus and the Legend of MrGrrrrumblebumZidane Press (distrib. Turnaround), 2010, p157, £7.99978 0 9562 6781 8

‘Food is the most SCRIDDLY fun you can havewithout turning into a PUMPKIN’.

Gastronimus the chef from outer space lands onearth accompanied by his sidekick, Scrumlix, thediner-saur. After being buried in a snow drift, theyare rescued by the earth creatures (humans) Jackand Yooki. A frantic series of adventures followsas Gastronimus battles against the wicked MrGrrrrumblebum and his army of Grrrrumble Brats.All Mr Grrrrumblebum needs is the Recipe forDisaster which will make the world so hot ‘it willbecome Fondu de Terre’. The book begins withStarters and, 27 short courses later, concludeswith Desserts. The substantial appendix entitled‘Recipes for a Happy Planet’ lists recipesannotated with star alerts for the evil ingredients:sugar, salt and bad fats. The humorous tone aidsdigestion of the healthy eating messagefundamental to the story. This is a fun book, idealfor reading aloud or for young confident readers:a recommended addition to the junior library.

Mary Crawford

Forward, TobyDragonborn (The Flaxfield Quartet)Walker, 2010, pp447, £6.99978 1 4063 2043 5

This is the first in aquartet and features theyoung hero Sam and hisfight against the evilwhich seems to followhim. Sam had beenapprenticed to a powerfulmagician called Flaxfield,but when the latter dies,Sam has to deal with theconsequences, in a world where enemies see thechance to extend their own evil magic. He isforced to stop being an apprentice and start hisrole as a magician, even though he is notconvinced of his power. The dragon of the title isSam’s pet Starback, but even this relationship isput under pressure by the circumstances they findsurrounding them.

This is a complex fantasy story full of many twistsand turns. As the first part of a series it spendstime introducing the cast of characters and thiscan become slightly confusing at times. It is abook for the serious afficionado of the genrerather than the casual reader as it twists andturns through the storyline. There is an interestinglayout to the book as the narrative text is brokenup by chapters of what purports to be sectionsfrom ‘an apprentice’s notebook’. This allows forexplanation of some topics and gives backgroundto creatures and places as they appear in thestory.

This has been a good introduction to the seriesand rewards perseverance in reading. I hope thatthe following books will sustain this good start.Useful for those top readers in Primary school andfor the fantasy section in Secondary libraries.

Margaret Pemberton

ANDERSEN press

sunday times

www.andersenpress.co.uk

8 to 12


Gleitzman, MorrisNowPuffin, 2010, pp176, £6.99978 0 141 32998 7

This is the third and lastinstalment in Gleitzman’s‘Once’ series. The first twobooks took us to Nazi-occupied Poland, wheretwo young children, a boycalled Felix and his friendZelda try to survive theHolocaust – butunfortunately only one of them makes it. In Now,Felix is a grandfather and lives in Australia, and helooks after his little granddaughter, also calledZelda, while her parents are overseas. The two arethe best of friends and their relationship growseven stronger when they face and overcome anumber of obstacles which help Felix find somepeace after the haunting nightmares from thetime of the war, and his granddaughter shows hertrue spirit, not unlike that of the ‘original’ Zelda’s.

Now is set many years after the events describedin the previous two books, and admittedly the bigtime-jump is quite abrupt, but soon enough thestory becomes too addictive to mind. Once againGleitzman proves that he is a brilliant story-teller,and his narrative has the same freshness and witthat we saw in the first two instalments as wellas in Grace. It is quite an interesting idea to focuson the main character at a much later stage thanexpected: normally we’d be told that Felix survivedthe war, and that would be the end of the story,but Gleitzman wants to show the true now afteronce and then, hence the contemporary setting. Abeautiful ending to an extraordinary and heart-warming tale.

Marzena Currie

Gourlay, Candy Tall StoryDavid Fickling Books, 2010, pp298, £10.99978 0 385 61894 6

Tall Story is a story of emotions. Whilst it is verycertainly bittersweet it balances this with a dryhumour, magical moments and a compelling story.Andi is desperate to meet her half brother andshe has great hopes for him. Of course, she tellsherself, he will be as keen on basketball as she is.She will no longer be the only child, all her wishesit seems are coming true, but is that really such agood thing? This story certainly forces its reader torealise that wishes are not always as good as theyseem, once they have come true.

Bernado is of course nervous about moving to livewith his family. After all there is the languagebarrier but then there is also his height. Bernadohowever is not quite what he seems. He is tall,eight foot tall, but he is a hero, a miracle workerand a boy with an amazing story. As we learn

about their lives and as their lives begin tointertwine Andi and Bernado become a part ofour own life, we live their hopes and dreams, theiranguish and upset. Most of all we enjoy theirstory. A brilliant book.


Guarnaccia, StevenThe Three Little Pigs: AnArchitectural TaleAbrams, 2010, pp32, £11.99978 0 8109 8941 2

What a terrific re-telling of the age-old folk talewe have here, one to be welcomed with openarms. We have had numerous books over theyears celebrating famous artists, hoping to informand to encourage young artists of the future, butarchitecture has remained something of aCinderella subject… until now. Here, for the firsttime as far as I know, the world of architectureand design has been highlighted in the same way.Clothing it in a well-known tale makes this bookthe perfect introduction for children to the field.Fittingly, it is published on smooth, silky paperwith the endpapers showing the work of eachfamous architect featured inside. Quite asophisticated idea, but it works brilliantly. Thesedays, Primary school children have heard ofPicasso and Van Gogh so why not of Le Corbusier,Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry et al. At Nurseryand KS1, it works as an interesting new version ofa favourite story but at KS2 the possibilities areendless: drawing up plans, designing houses andfurniture, choosing materials, making models,finding out about architectsand building styles past andpresent, researching inbooks and on the web,writing reviews, running acompetition for the bestdesigned home for aqueen/footballer/dancer etc.

Angela Redfern

Harrison, CoraThe Montgomery MurderPiccadilly, 2010, pp176, £6.99978 1848 12064 8

I have often found fiction that ‘supports KS2history topics’ to be contrived and often boring.Here is an exception! The author is both anexperienced primary school teacher and writer ofadult fiction. Perhaps this is why she writes in adirect and uncompromising way and assumes thereader capable of dealing with what is agruesome story set in Victorian London, whereappalling poverty is found side by side with greatwealth. The most reluctant reader will warm tothe central character, street wise Alfie Sykes,orphaned and struggling to provide for his blindbrother and two cousins, as he’s arrested forstealing bread but given a chance of reprieve by

8–12 New Editions

The Underneath (09) by Kathi Appelt is quitedelightfully different: it is an animal storycentred around a cat and kittens and anabused dog. The story is surprising, gripping,riveting and, even for a reader not usuallyenamoured with this genre, it is lovely too.Simon & Schuster, £5.99, 978 1 84738 311 2.

‘Greek Beasts and Heroes’ is the overall titlefor a series of books by Lucy Coats retellingall those myths and legends, each paperbackbook has 78 pages, sewn binding and is infull colour. An example is The Silver Chariot(02) with ten episodes, so each is a shortstory, all told as if by Atticus the Storytelleras in the original large hardback. Orion,£4.99, 978 1 4440 0069 6.

In the sixth of Joseph Delaney’s series TheSpook’s Sacrifice (09) Lancashire folklore isagain the inspiration for a frightener of atale. A dangerous old god has emerged andthe increasing power must be curbed, onceagain the apprentice, Tom, has to rely on hisown strengths and overcome fears anddoubts to win through. Red Fox, £5.99, 9781 862 30352 2. A murder mystery andintrigue which takes three children from theirhome Hilltop Farm to Paris makes a storywith family loyalties and relationships at thecore in The Secret (08) by Ellis J. Delmonte.Hawkwood Books, £6.99, 978 0 9555096 2 9.

Follyfoot (71) is the Monica Dickensfavourite, a classic of horsiness, reissuedthankfully without any text tinkering andwith an eye-catching photo cover. The storyis set in a home for discarded horses withthree young stablehands and a couple ofvillains to disturb the equilibrium of theeveryday equine details. Andersen, £4.99,978 1 84939 130 6.

The Werewolf and the Ibis (07) is a storyabout Stanley Buggles from Chris Mould’s‘Something Wickedly Weird’ series. A seasidesummer holiday seems ordinary but not in aplace with three-legged dogs and withwerewolves and pirates looming on thehorizon, copious drawings by the authoradorn the pages. Hodder, £4.99, 978 0 340 93102 8.

Another series – Charlie Bone and the RedKnight (09) is the eighth and final of thesefantasies by Jenny Nimmo. These books havebuilt up a large readership by theirconsistently high standards of plotting withadventure and thrills. Egmont, £5.99, 978 14052 4960 7. A couple of Ian Ogilvy’s‘Measle Stubbs’ books are re-titled for neweditions. So ‘Measle and the Wraithmonk’


sympathetic Inspector Denham, who is eager touse Alfie’s local knowledge to solve the murder ofwealthy Mr Montgomery.

This is a fast moving story with chapters thatinvariably end on cliff hangers, suited equally toindividual reading or aloud to a group, the authormanages to not only set the scene with somewonderful descriptions but also to sneak in someuseful historical facts.

The first of a series, ‘The London MurderMysteries’, the next will be eagerly awaited.

Dianne Southcombe

Ibbotson, EvaThe Ogre of OglefortMacmillan, 2010, pp231, £9.99978 0 230 74647 3

Eva Ibbotson tells a story of things not beingwhat they seem. How an unknown place is feareduntil it is visited and then found to have muchthat is familiar and attractive. How an ogre can bedreaded as a loathsome and flesh eating monsterwith a nasty way with princesses, until we discernhe may be just a distant cousin of Shrek and hasall kinds of interesting foibles. How wizards, trollsand hags are really quite humane when you getto know them. Those traditional heroes, theprinces, on the other hand are found to be weakand self-seeking with laddish tendencies thatarouse little admiration in the eyes of the story’sprincess, Mirella.

There are a large number of characters to beintroduced early in the novel and consequently itis some time before our assembled motley bandfrom the Boarding House of Unusual Peopletogether with Ivo, a human orphan from theRiverdene Home for Children in Need, begin theirjourney to menacing Ostland to rescue Mirellafrom the Ogre. This is the Summer Task, an annualevent, set for the Unusual People by some strangeapparitions known as the Norns, the Old Ones,who apparently, must be obeyed. Once in Ostlandwe are drawn into a faster moving story ofadventure and magic. There are many strands tofollow and there is a hierarchy of magic tointerpret and some dangerous moments with theOgre’s evil sisters. It all concludes well enoughand the unlikely group create a commune wherethey grow their food and tend their chickens andall is peaceful. The Ogre decides he can go on acruise and leave them to care for his castle.

It is difficult for the reader to identify with thecharacters. It is not just their oddness, it is thatthere are so many of them. I am uncertain alsoabout the turning upside down of Europeanfolklore and traditional fairy tales in order toextract humour. There is much humanity to beadmired in Eva Ibbotson’s writing but it isimportant not to forget the more serious culturalrole played by enchantment.

Michael Holloway

Ignatow, AmyThe Popularity Papers: Research forthe Social Improvement and GeneralBetterment of Lydia Goldblatt andJulie Graham-ChangIllustrated by the author

Amulet, 2010, pp208, £9.99978 0 8109 8421 9

Eleven-year-old Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang have been best friends for nearly all oftheir lives. With middle school looming they haveone mission in mind – to work out how tobecome popular girls. This scrapbook stylenotebook/graphic novel is a record of theirresearch and observations on how to achieve thatgoal. The hilarious and heart-rendingcomplications that beset them nearly destroy theirrelationship but do lead them to explore the realmeaning of friendship.

Debut author/illustrator Amy Ignatow has writtena journal with full colour illustrations on everypage. Two distinctive handwriting style fonts lendan extra note of authenticity to the diary. Thisentertaining and insightful look at the dynamicsof American pre-adolescence is reminiscent in partof Jacqueline Wilson and Oprah Winfrey. Lydia’ssingle mom and Julie’s two dads are supportive ifsometimes perplexed parents. The Americansetting and spellings may be distracting for somereaders. But the themes addressed are universalto tweens on both sides of the Atlantic andshould particularly appeal to girls of 9+.

Rosemary Woodman

Johnson, PeteThe Vampire BlogCorgi Yearling, 2010, pp230, £4.99978 0 440 86935 1

As vampires are in vogue this book willundoubtedly be popular with the upperprimary/lower secondary school age group. It isnot the usual type of vampire story though, it islight-hearted with plenty of humour and it lacksthe usual darkness although there is great tensiontowards the end. There are also a few sceneswhich are sufficiently disgusting to be deemed‘yucky’. The most unusual aspect is, however, thatit chiefly concerns half-vampires. It is not easy toidentify half-vampires as outwardly they appear tobe perfectly ordinary humans just like the parentsof the protagonist, Marcus. It comes as a greatshock to him as he reaches his thirteenth birthdayto be told that not only are his parents half-vampires but he will soon become one. He ishorrified about this so he secretly blogs about thechanges taking place in his body – his two fangs,his bad breath and his overwhelming hunger forblood. He begins to fight against the changes, notrealising his life is in grave danger. Once againaward winning Pete Johnson has produced anaccessible, amusing and enjoyable story.

Audrey Baker

8 to 12(04) is now The Train Set of Terror and‘Measle and the Dragodon’ (also 04) hasbecome The Funfair of Fear! They remainthoroughly enjoyable romps, crazily delightfuland with particular reader-friendly boy-appeal. Oxford, £5.99 each, 978 0 19272970 5, 978 0 19 272971 2.

Lauren St John’s distinctive series of storiesset amidst African wildlife continues with afourth book The Elephant’s Tale (09). Schoolholidays, the nature reserve and an ominousthreat of repossession to challenge everythingworthwhile; classic elements with acontemporary conservation awareness. Orion,£6.99, 978 1 84255 785 3.

The first three of Sophie Smiley’s delightfulfamily and footie stories about Bobby andCharlie (from 03 – 07) appear as a 3 in 1book Football Fever. Charlie is a girl andBobby has special qualities which need careand attention giving these tales far broaderappeal than for football fans alone and thelarge print size, Michael Foreman drawings,cracking characterisations and stories makethis perfectly inviting to either competent orless confidant readers. Andersen, £5.99, 978 1 84939 116 0.

G. P. Taylor’s Mariah Mundi and the Ship ofFools (09) has Mariah stalked by an assassinbesides racing across the Atlantic in this thirdfantasy adventure. Thrills, spills andcliffhangers abound in a non-stop adrenalinrush for aficionados. Faber, £6.99, 978 0 571 25188 9.

Kevin Crossley-Holland contributes theintroduction to another splendid, and verywelcome, revival from Jane Nissen Books. TheSprig of Broom (71) by Barbara Willard is thefirst of a classic and outstanding sequence ofhistorical novels set around and about aSussex house, Mantlemass. The aftermath ofthe Wars of the Roses is the backdrop for astory of intrigue, excitement, relationshipsand, indeed, literacy. In later booksdescendants of the same family becomeembroiled in more conflicts, more nationalmovements, more familial disputes. £7.99,978 1 90325 235 2.

Oxford have re-vamped Jacqueline Wilson’sHow to Survive Summer Camp (85) into abrilliant and inviting looking anniversaryhardback with an additional 50 pages ofactivities and things to do. In the story, clearlydemonstrating the author’s wonderfully lighttouch in dealing with problems, Stella isbundled out of the way to go to summercamp where everything, as she fully expects,goes disastrously awry for her. However ofcourse eventually she finds her own feet andbegins to see her own place amidst thescheme of things. £9.99, 978 0 19 272992 7.

8 to 12


King, CaroShadow SpellQuercus, 2010, pp363, £6.99978 1 84916 179 4

In Seven Sorcerers, Caro King showed her skilland inventiveness in creating a panoply of strangeanimals and beasts, inhabiting a complex fantasyworld. This is the sequel, which shows manysimilar strengths, but it may possibly confuse the8+ year-olds at which it is aimed because of theintricacy of created world. In many ways, ShadowSpell is a traditional tale of good against evil, lightagainst darkness. The Land of Drift is threatenedby the evil Mr Strood and can only be saved bythe Sorcerer Simeon Dark; it is NinevahRedstone’s quest to find him.

This book will not appeal to everyone, but forthose who like their myth and magic ladled on inlarge measures, this will hit the spot.

Robin Barlow

Landman, TanyaThe Scent of BloodWalker, 2010, pp111, £4.99978 1 4063 2371 9

Poppy Fields and her side-kick, Graham, are involved intheir seventh case – a seriesof murders at Fairleigh Manorzoo park: the body count –nine if I got it correct –exceeded that even of aMidsomer Murders singleepisode. The unpleasantnesswith the elephant on page 2 is reminiscent of thatof Ham’s accident in Rosemary Harris’s Moon inthe Cloud, although told less elegantly.

The intrepid Holmes and her Watson, a mine ofinformation at crucial points in the story, arespending a prize weekend at Fairleigh Manor andits hotel: Poppy’s mother is there with a friend forthe luxury relaxation. A series of brutal murdersinvolving various animals disrupts proceedings,apparently in revenge for the death of ‘S.M.’,presumably a keeper who died during theprevious year. The deaths, including that of theowner, don’t result in the cancellation of theholiday weekend, however, which leaves Poppyand Graham free to pursue their enquiries, eventhough the zoo is closed at one stage.

Sparky dialogue mixed with cynical observations –the comment on the zoo staff’s ability to ignorethe public is suitably ironic – will amuse readers,while the elimination of various suspects will spurthem on to identify the criminal before Poppy andGraham are cornered by the culprit. The flaw withcrime novels told in the first person is of coursethat the narrator must survive to tell the tale, nomatter how dangerous the situation in which theyfind themselves – and this novel is no exception.For those who enjoy this kind of formula,however, the story is enjoyable enough. Animal

Rights activists don’t come out of the case withtoo much credit, while the fact that wild animalsare dangerous and not domestic pets is usefullyand unsentimentally stressed.

Peter Andrews

Lane, AndrewYoung Sherlock Holmes: DeathCloudMacmillan, 2010, pp313, £6.99978 0 330 51198 8

The ‘prequel’, for want of abetter description, is fastbecoming a popular genre,especially following thedeserved success of CharlieHigson’s Young Bond series.Andrew Lane has created afourteen-year-old SherlockHolmes with, we are told, the authorization of theConan Doyle Estate Ltd. Whilst not matchingHigson’s skill and literary élan, Lane has produceda creative and inventive story which will probablyappeal to rising teenage readers.

The young Sherlock is forced to spend apotentially boring and tedious summer holidays inFarnham with his ageing and taciturn uncle.Things look up when Amyus Crowe, an eccentricAmerican with a pretty young daughter, isappointed as his tutor and he also meets Matty,an orphaned youngster who owns a canal barge.Between them they manage to foil the plot ofBaron Maupertuis, who aimed to destroy theBritish Army with a strain of killer bees.

Whilst Lane ensures that we have plenty ofexamples of the ‘deductive process’, this is notreally Sherlock Holmes as we know him. There arekidnaps, abductions, druggings and all manner ofviolence – and both Sherlock and Matty murdersomeone. Not quite cricket. The evil Baron isthwarted, but he lives on, giving ampleopportunity for the sequel to the prequel

Robin Barlow

MacDonald, AlanOi, Caveboy! (Iggy the Urk)Illustrated by Mark Beech

Bloomsbury, 2010, pp192, £4.99978 1 4088 0334 9

This is the first of a new series of stone ageadventure stories. Iggy likes messing around andinventing things such as ‘scootboards’ – his own,Neanderthal skateboard. He is faced with ahunting initiation ritual in a snake pit, but hisenemy, the evil Borg, has tampered with the test.Iggy faces a series of dangers and escapades, ashe embarks on a quest. He travels through theFarlands where the Nonecks live to find theStankwort plant that will heal his uncle. Only Iggycan save the tribe from the dastardly Borg’sattempt to become chief. There is lots of lively

dialogue, an entertaining stone age dialect andlovely invented words. The text is simple andaccessible, perfect for independent readersgaining confidence. The use of sounds – ‘whump’,‘clug’, ‘thlluuuup’, etc. – captures some of the funand slapstick of a comic. Jokes and puns, tribesand catapults, abound and will appeal to youngreaders. There are some great comic descriptions,such as ‘He looked like death, only dirtier.’ MarkBeech’s scratchy, energetic, expressive inkdrawings work brilliantly with the story, adding tothe humour. The combination of words andpictures will be much enjoyed; a great addition toa school library.

Sophie Smiley

Mitton, Tony, and Warburton,SarahSir LaughalotOrchard, 2010, pp32, £10.99978 1 40830 274 3

Brave Sir Laughalot, accompanied by his dog –the tilt of nose/snout and beetling eyebrows notdissimilar – is bored and looking for adventure,which comes in the forms of dragon, giant anddamsel in distress (à la Rapunzel). Both dragonand giant are defeated by ridicule: the damsel isrescued by laughter – her own, the witch whohas imprisoned her being fed-up with the girl’sgiggling. So a wedding follows soon and then thearrival of twins, as ‘chuckly’ as their parents.

Bouncing, rhythmical text accompanied by sharplycolourful illustarations make for a cheerful talewhere nobody is as bad as their reputationsuggests: dragon, giant and witch (in simperingmode) all attend the wedding and look happy tobe invited. The mean-looking dragon hashorizontally stripy tail, arms and legs, which don’tincrease his dignity, lessened even further by thehairs curling out of his nostrils. The bristly chinnedgiant with hair and eyebrows to match wears ahorizontally striped hat that doesn’t add to hisfiercesome looks, particularly as the hat sports abedraggled feather. The blue-skinned witch,kohled eyes matching those of her pet owl, andclaw-like finger nails looks a suitably doughty foebut is maddened by the girl’s ‘tee-hee-heeing’,and gives Sir Laughalot a pure white charger onwhich to carry away his bride.

Highly decorative borders surround but don’trestrict most of the pictures – characters simplyflow over the borders into the surrounding spaces.The twins look as if they might have escaped fromone of Ronald Searle’sless-dreadful schools,and the endpages areheavily patterned,which enhances themedieval style of thisenjoyable romp.

Peter Andrews

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8 to 12


Morpurgo, MichaelAn Elephant in the GardenIllustrated by Michael Foreman

HarperCollins, 2010, pp233, £12.99978 0 00 733957 0

The former Children’sLaureate’s studies of animalexperiences during wartimecontinue with this uplifting taleof a German family in Dresdenduring the allied bombing of1944. As so often, Morpurgouses reminiscences from thepresent day to set the story, and introducesMarlene the elephant when Dresden zoo has tomake some difficult decisions.

With his consummate skills honed over manyyears – over 100 books to date – Morpurgointroduces a number of themes, many of whichcould be used in the classroom or book group asstarting points for discussion. Forgiveness, familyrelationships, attitudes to racism, physicaldisability, loyalty and teenage romance are allexplored with sympathy and tact.

Michael Foreman’s illustrations add anatmospheric sense of theatre, and the coverdepicts a graphic contrast between Marlene andKarli (the eight year old brother of the maincharacter, Elizabeth), and a flame lit sky filled withLancaster bombers. The book reaches itsconclusion as American and Russian forcesconverge in central Germany, and all loose endsare neatly tied up in the final chapter. Morpurgo ison excellent form here, and this should besuitable for confident readers aged 11 to 14.

Stephen King

Rogers, Gregory The Hero of Little StreetAllen & Unwin, 2010, pp32, £10.99978 1 74114 524 3

In his wordless picturebook Rogers gives viewersa rewarding challenge in return for their hardwork which involves constantly making decisionsas to what is significant in the sequence offrames. (Wordless picturebooks of his kind are notfor slouches).

In Book 3 of the ‘Boy Bear’ series Rogerstransports his butterball of a hero fromcontemporary London to 17th century Holland.Consummate cartooning in graphite pencil, inks,watercolour, and coloured pencil is what it takes.The scenario opens in Trafalgar Square, aboveLord Nelson’s viewpoint. In order to escape agang of young hooligans Boy runs into theNational Gallery. Here he is lured into 17thcentury Delft by the little dog which appears inJan van Eyck’s portrait of the Arnolfini marriagegroup. Good fun follows, involving chances tospot famous paintings by Vermeer, and De Hooch,until Boy and the dog find themselves on LittleStreet, Delft, where dog goes missing.

The mood darkens. Can this be the work of adevilish local butcher who kidnaps dogs? (Don’task what he does with them). The action heats upinvolving more hooligans (history has a way ofrepeating itself). An ingenious plot, woven rounda ribbon and a recorder, is guaranteed to keepviewers scanning the frames. It would take twothousand words rather than two hundred, to dojustice to Roger’s splendid picturebook whichcould entertain Upper Junior and Year 7 students,as well as encourage a little research projecttriggered by the absorbing visual detail.

Jane Doonan

Smiley, JaneNobody’s HorseFaber, 2010, pp266, £6.99978 0 571 25354 8

Nobody’s Horse is ideal for young readers whoare mad about horses. It is a heart warming tale,not action packed but a comforting read. Everypage is full of Abby’s day-to-day dealings withhorses and her struggle to train a horse calledGrumpy George. Teenagers will relate to herstruggles at home but also to her struggles atschool as the Big Four turn against her. Abbyshows great strength of character and couragemaking for an inspirational read. Horses are herlife and a great escape from her troubles. Thereare many horse lovers out there who will relate tosuch a beautiful story.

Rebecca Chappell

Sparkes, AliWishful ThinkingOxford, 2010, pp323, £5.99978 0 19 275611 4

The cover blurb gives anexcellent introduction to therollicking adventure – ‘After avisit to Cambridge with hisNan Kevin comes back withsome local fudge, a scentedcandle for his Mum andAbandinus, a little knownCeltic deity... With God onyour side, life's going to get a whole lot easier,isn't it?’

Kevin has a comprehensive wish-list and reckonsthat achieving some of his dreams could be worthsome effort on his part. He enlists the help of hisfriend Tim and of Gracie, an American studentvisiting their school. Together they set up a shrineat the bottom of Kevin’s garden. They compose ahymn and begin worshipping their god. It seemsnothing can go wrong – until other gods begin toappear.

It might seem damning to suggest that WishfulThinking is thought provoking on issues such asreligion and material values but it is so eventhough the story is first and foremost a funnyadventure. I found it has the same feel-good

factor as Frank Cottrell Boyce's Millions, with abunch of warm-hearted, well-meaning, likeableyoung teenagers at its heart. The modern take ongods dabbling in mortal affairs has the sense of acomedy film, especially when coupled with aclimactic car chase. Perfect for older primaries andwell into secondary level.

Wendy Worley

St John, LaurenDead Man’s CoveOrion, 2010, pp160, £9.99978 1 4440 0020 7

Dead Man’s Cove is a Famous Five-esque romp ina modern setting. A young orphan with a keeninterest in detecting is taken in by her long lostuncle and immediately plunged into a world ofmysterious foreigners, suspect housekeepers,messages in bottles and secret smuggler routes. Inher detecting she is supported by a resourcefuland loyal dog and in true Blyton fashion herdetecting skills triumph in the end over the adultswho didn’t listen to her when they should have.

This book will be enjoyed by relatively goodreaders at the late primary school stage. It is agood read and while Blytonesque it also tacklesworthy issues. It transpires that the smugglerscargo is in fact children who have been bondedinto slavery from overseas. This issue is introducedsensitively and seamlessly into the action andhighlights to children that there are manydifferent forms of slavery and that slavery stillexists in Britain today. The only criticism of thebook is my disappointment that charactersintroduced early in the book as suspect doactually turn out to be the baddies – a couple oftwists here would be beneficial but otherwise thisis a worthwhile read.

Frances Breslin

Vaughan, WilliamGold HunterY Lolfa, 2010, pp112, £4.95978 1 8477 1200 4

Gold Hunter, from a publisherbased in Wales, is written toappeal to 10 to 13-year-olds.The Plot involves William, ayoung lad who having stolenhis widowed mother’s money,sets off to find gold inAustralia in the 1860s. Heencounters dangers, meets friends and encountersnative Australians during his quest. When hefinally discovers potential wealth, he realises thatthere is more to life than riches.

This story has a whiff of the early pioneering WildWest stories, is carefully written to draw thereader into the early days of the gold rush andexplores an ever pertinent theme through anentertaining and exciting story. The character ofWilliam is particularly well-drawn; we grow to like


him as he develops into an upright and honestyoung man. A story of the ‘bad guy done good’theme which might well have particular appeal toboys.

Janet Sims

Wilson, Jacqueline Little Darlings Illustrated by Nick Sharratt

Doubleday, 2010, pp378, £12.99978 0 385 61443 6

Wilson fans will be queuing to buy this latestoffering – though their parents might jib at the£12.99 hardback price tag! (Why do they insiston printing popular authors work in hardback? –bulky, and awkward to hold as well as expensiveto buy.) This book is about two girls Sunset andDestiny; one is used to a celebrity lifestyle withher family, and the other lives on an estate.Sunset feels that she is a misfit in the glitzylifestyle and secretly writes poems. Destiny on theother hand is a talented performer. WhenDestiny’s mother brings her daughter to Londonto see stars arrive for a film premiere, they fail tomake the contact with Danny Kilman so Destiny’smother decides to go to his house and see himthere, hinting to Destiny that there is a specialreason why Danny would want to see her. Destinyand Sunset meet and form a friendship,discovering eventually that they are half-sisters,both daughters of a Danny Kilman.

As usual with Jacqueline Wilson stories, the girlssave the day forming a singing and lyricist duo fora talent show and changing the lives of theirrelatives. With a ready made fan base this one willnot fail to please!

Rosemary Good

8–12 Information

Ardagh, PhilipKnights and CastlesIllustrated by Mike Gordon

Scholastic, 2010, pp64, £5.99978 1 40710 722 6

This is another in the Henry’s House series, eachbook focusing on facts about a particular topicexperienced by Henry in his extraordinary house,through Mike Gordon’s familiar amusingdrawings. Each drawing is annotated andenhanced by clear speech bubbles from Henryand the people in the castle which he meets. Inthis book a contents page, augmented by anindex and glossary, gives a list of the parts of thecastle that Henry and his dog, Mothball, visit andthe things they find going on. At the end of theday Henry is retrieved by Jaggers, theknowledgeable caretaker of the house and returnsto his everyday life, musing on what he has seen.

Although aimed at emergent readers the livelyillustrations and compact A5 size means this bookwill appeal to children with a wide range of abilitywho will enjoy the humour and the many quirkyfacts.

Dianne Southcombe

Barraclough, SueBe An Eco Hero At HomeWatts, 2010, pp30, £11.99978 0 7496 9336 7

‘At Home’ is a companionvolume to ‘On the move’,‘Outdoors’ and ‘At school’. Eachdouble page spread tackles anaspect of environmentalawareness, focussing on energyand water conservation and recycling. Colourfulphotographs and superheroes (both boys andgirls) inform the text: a picture of a power stationis linked to a picture showing power lines goinginto houses. Reasons are given for environmentalcare: these are followed by practical suggestionsand activities for the eco hero to try out. The bookconcludes with a glossary, a list of useful websitesand an index. While this is familiar territory, thisbook is a superbly presented hardback with highlyaccessible text suitable for an introduction to thesubject for young children. The series wouldtherefore be a valuable resource in junior schools.

Mary Crawford

Bingham, JaneHenry VIII (Extraordinary Lives)Wayland, 2010, pp32, £12.99978 0 7502 6047 3

In my experience, history books from Wayland areusually accessible, innovative and usefuladditional titles for the school library. Here isanother from a series which is also exciting inapproach. Henry VIII, aimed at upper primary orlower secondary students, takes a chronologicalstroll through Henry’s life as King. A briefflashback to his childhood to complete thebiography, each double page considers his wives,his wars, his conflict with the Pope and ends withan examination of Henry’s influence today. As wellas the contents, index, time-line and glossarythere is a useful ‘cross-curricula links’ page, ahelpful addition for teachers planning a topicbased approach.

Janet Sims

Green, JenCities (The Geography DetectiveInvestigates)Wayland, 2010, pp32, £12.99978 0 7502 5674 2

Cities as a concept, aspects of their developmentand the social implications form the basis of thissimple introduction to urbanisation. It provides a

spring board from which to explore topics such asthe urban infrastructure – a useful comparisonbetween a photograph and map of Sydney is usedhere, employment, buildings, the development oftourism, transport and other aspects of urbanliving. Suggestions are given as to resources thatmight be used in compiling projects in thosevarious topics.

Rather than the global approach – from Mumbaito Paris and elsewhere (obviously to appeal to aswide a market as possible), it might have beenbetter if the author had concentrated on one ortwo cities, providing a more focused picture of thesubject. We simply flit from one location toanother with no great depth given to the differentaspects of urban life.

In the British context, I have always understoodthat a city grew up around a cathedral, but nomention is made of this. The listing of cities’names in the index appears arbitrary; a moreconsistent listing would have been more usefulbecause of the photographs than an entry such asthat for ‘leisure’ that refers to the photograph ofSilicone Valley and a caption referring to ‘housingestates and shopping centres’ but no leisureactivities, unless shopping is regarded as such. Anattractively produced book such as this needsmore focus: it is good that it directs readersbeyond its binding but a pity that so many topicsare mentioned only in passing.

Peter Andrews

Hanbury-Murphy, Trudy Solving the Mysteries of AncientRomeWatts, 2010, pp32, £12.99978 0 7496 9494 4

Ancient Rome is another book in the series ofdigging into history. This short, but well illustrated,hard back book investigates the history of ancientRome using the evidence of what has been ‘dugup’. The print and layout are easy to read withlarge colour photographs of landmarks and finds.The book covers the rise to fall of the RomanEmpire in short but informative sections coveringroads, the army, lifestyle and why Rome fell,utilising the latest technology and newdiscoveries. A good reference for the 7+ reader.

Alisa Vanlint

Jennings, Terry Earthquakes and Tsunamis (AmazingPlanet Earth)Watts, 2010, pp32, £12.99978 0 7496 8804 2

Part of the ‘Amazing Planet Earth’ series, thisgrimly factual, large format book illustrates theeffects of the frightening phenomena by showingtheir results in the major historical disasters insuch places as India, Afghanistan, San Francisco,Alaska and Indonesia. The reasons why they occur

8 to 12


8 to 12and methods currently employed to limitdevastation are simply described, such as in theTorre Mayor building in Mexico City, which is 225metres tall, has steel and concrete foundationsthat are 40 metres deep, shock absorbers and isdesigned to bend during earthquakes.

Clear diagrams, dramatic pictures and a goodglossary complement the simple but informativetext from which top junior and lower secondarystudents should learn comfortably.

David Churchill

Kramer, Ann

Secret War (Taking Part in theSecond World War)Watts, 2010, pp32, £12.99978 0 7496 9209 4

This coherent account of espionage during theSecond World War is to be welcomed. For oncethe format of the two-page spread with shortparagraphs and a liberal sprinkling ofphotographs is not limiting, perhaps because ofthe grouping of material around ongoingaccounts of Bletchley Park and the SpecialOperations Executive (SOE), accounts prefaced bya short introduction about the need forinformation about Axis activities, in particularthose of the Germans. Here lies a criticism,however, because some information about thecounter-offensive would have been useful, ifdifficult to give in so short a book.

The growth of Bletchley Park during the war andits swift demise afterwards and its work onEnigma (the German coding system) arerecounted, together with mention of Colossus, thefirst programmable computer. Far more of thebook is devoted to the SOE – its recruitmentactivities, the training of operatives, theequipment they used (some of it remarkablysophisticated), and their work behind enemy lines(precarious and deadly). A remarkable number ofwomen were involved – and this is reflected inthe photographs and short biographies used togive personal interest to the story. The index is notas accurate as it might be: information on sometopics wasn’t on the pages to which referencewas made.

Here, however, is a well-filleted account ofBritain’s clandestine efforts during the SecondWorld War – so clandestine that few individualsseemed to have had a complete picture of anyoperation with which they were involved: code-breakers at Bletchley Park appear to have workedon only parts of encrypted messages. Because ofits brevity, the book will need to be supplementedby far wider reading – to which purpose a fewbooks are listed as well as websites (togetherwith a warning on the need for carefulsupervision of children when they use theinternet).

Peter Andrews

Lewin, Ted and Betsy Balarama: A Royal ElephantLee & Low Books (Turnaround), 2010, pp56,£11.99978 1 60060 265 8

This is a lavishly illustrated reallife account of an important dayin the life of a very specialelephant, Balarama. In Indiaelephants are trained to performin public festivals and majesticBalarama is chosen to carry the golden howdahon the last day of Dasara, a centuries old festivalwhich celebrates autumn in the city of Mysore.

The creators of this book describe the campwhere the elephants are trained and followBalarama’s progress until he makes his debut. Thetext is quietly factual, with the greater share ofthe emotional power being given to theillustrations. The artwork alternates betweenrapid-style cartooning, and sumptuouswatercolour, the effect of which is to speed up orslow down the visual rhythms as the pages turn.A kaleidoscope of hot pink, vibrant purple, anddazzling blue evokes heat. Light shimmers andsparkles on embroidery. Velvety shadows lie inpools. A confetti of petals is strewn over the finalpage frame.

The Lewins have an impressive facility for catchingaction which belies the notion that pictures arefixed moments in time. This book gives its readersmore than just a story, as it has an intriguingreference section about elephants, Asian orAfrican. There is also a glossary and apronunciation guide.

Jane Doonan

Manning, Mick, and BritaGranströmMy Uncle’s DunkirkWatts (in association with Imperial WarMuseum), 2010, pp32, £10.99978 0 7496 9341 1

The story of the evacuation of the BritishExpeditionary Force from the beaches of Dunkirkin June 1940 is told in Mick Manning’s memoir ofhis uncle, Gil, a Dunkirk veteran.

Inevitably the question arises of whether, used aschildren are to graphic, digitally processedimagery, a picture-book format can tell this storysuccessfully without the use of such aids. Theanswer is a resounding ‘yes’.

The author’s memories of seaside holidays in the1960s are contrasted with his uncle’s memories ofthe Dunkirk seaside of 1940, using alternatingdouble-page spreads, the pictures of each eramirroring each other. Uncle Gil appears in thesame place and pose on each page, his 1960s selfreflecting that of the young soldier of 1940.Groups of 1960s figures appear in similar posesto those of the soldiers in 1940. Holiday makersare helped down the gang-plank of a pleasure

steamer by a uniformed sailor, while soldiers arestopped from boarding a pleasure steamer by auniformed officer because the ship is full ofevacuees, in 1940. In the 1960s, people queue forice creams and go paddling: in 1940, soldiersqueue for a place on board the relief ships,paddling in waist-high water – Uncle Gil hatedqueues and never went paddling when onholiday. The heroics of the evacuation are impliedrather than portrayed graphically.

Impressionistic portrayals of the chaos of an armytrying to evacuate its troops contrast with thebusyness of a seaside holiday. Conventionally settext in the 1960s’ scenes contrasts with theboxed text superimposed on the scenes from1940. A collage of Uncle Gil’s souvenirs from hisarmy life, discovered after his death in the 1990s,closes the story, which began with Manning’sreminiscences of reading his uncle’s Second WorldWar magazines in the 1960s.

Both author and artist have produced a movingtribute to the Dunkirk events. One caveat: itwould have been useful to have a fullerintroduction, explaining more fully the eventsleading to Dunkirk, to match the concludingsummary of the course of the war that followed.This, not withstanding, the book is impressive –its recognition of the long-lasting effects of warthrough the representation of Uncle Gil’s reactionto Dunkirk are to be welcomed, particularly inview of our current military engagements: eventsmay pass but their effects can last for decades.

Peter Andrews

McKirdy, Alan and Moira Scottish Rocks and FossilsNational Museum of Scotland, 2010, pp48,£5.99978 1 905267 29 3

This is a new addition to the delightful series ofScottie Books published under the auspices ofNational Museums Scotland. It is an exciting, full-colour information book for junior school agereaders. As well as containing interesting facts,the books aim to stimulate activities both athome and in the classroom. There is a list ofwebsites and suggestions for places to visit. TheScottie series was first published in the early1990s but have now been rewritten andredesigned in a striking new format. We areintroduced to Lizzie (or Westlothiana lizziae) whowas found in a small quarry and lived 330 millionyears ago. She is an extremely important fossil asthe ancestor of all other reptiles, birds andmammals, including Man. With Icelandic volcanicaction so topical we learn about the volcanicactivity and glacial erosion which brought aboutthe striking appearance of Edinburgh. Do notworry, that volcano is now extinct. A must forjunior school libraries on both sides of Hadrian’sWall.

Joan Hamilton Jones

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09:43


Murphy, Glenn Evolution, Nature and StuffScience Museum (Macmillan), 2010, pp210,

£5.99, 978 0 330 50894 0

Space, Black Holes and StuffScience Museum (Macmillan), 2010, pp254,

£5.99, 978 0 330 50893 3

Both books promise there areno boring bits – true. Herewe have an excellent sourceto engage even the mostreluctant reader. The textflows and is entertaining.There are diagrams and blackand white pictures whereappropriate, and somepuzzles and even the odd quiz. Because the textis in question and answer form, some with aserious slant and some humorous, it reads quicklyand entertainingly so you hardly seem to belearning at all. You are though! All the relevantinformation is there, even footnotes to amplifysome points. There is a contents list and answersto the puzzles at the back but no index. Sadlythere is no reference to further reading or websites, the only fault I could find! The titles indicatethe material covered very well, just all the ‘stuff’you would expect really! Yes, buy them for KS3and upwards. They should also do well in theschool bookshop, you can rely on word of mouthto promote them.

Delvene A. Barnett

Parker, Steve Planet EarthQED, 2010, pp118, £9.99978 1 84835 277 3

Spiral bound, Parker’s ‘amazing exploration ofhabitats around the world’ has the look of areference book yet the feel of a field manual –something that the reader can really engage with.It has thick glossy full colour pages with clearblocks of text. Words printed in bold arecontained in the glossary at the back of the book.The use of varied fonts on each pagedifferentiates between quirky facts andinformative text. The book covers differenthabitats and how plants and animals are able tosurvive in their extremes. From rainforests anddeserts to polar regions and oceans, this bookcovers them all in glorious technicolour.

This is a lovely book that will be extremely usefulfor KS1 and 2. My only reservation is that thebook must be opened fully to turn the pageswithout damaging them, and with all those littlefingers eager to turn the pages, I’d worry that thebook wouldn’t stay in one piece for very long. Arecommended addition to your library but possiblybest to wait until it is released in an alternativebinding.


Sonneborn, Liz The Egyptians: Life in Ancient EgyptIllustrated by Samuel Hiti

Lerner, 2010, pp48, £6.99978 0 7613 5381 2

This book is described as having a ‘comic book artstyle to engage the reader while providinghistorically accurate views of life long ago’; it doesexactly that. A concise but extremely usefulintroduction sets the scene. This is followed by sixchapters covering the usual topics such as foodand farming, homes and other buildings, clothingand adornment, everyday life, religion and beliefsand famous Egyptians, while also introducingother aspects such as social class, inventions andideas, archaeology and ancient Egypt’s legacy. Theinformation is basic but sound, making this auseful book for starting a topic or using with theyounger end of KS2. I particularly liked the way,for example, the foods listed would all be familiarto children today. The clean, crisp illustrations andtheir footnotes provide easily accessed additionalinformation, encouraging the reader to carry outfurther research. For example, children are shownwearing their hair in the ‘sidelock of youth’,stimulating the reader’s curiosity. The book iscompleted by a simple timeline, including moderndiscoveries, and glossary plus ideas for furtherreading and internet research. As this publicationoriginated in the U.S. these may well includesome less familiar ones.

Maggie Monteath

Taplin, Sam The Usborne Official Pharaoh’sHandbook Illustrated by Paddy Mounter

Usborne, 2010, pp80, £7.99978 0 7460 9380 1

This notebook sized book had me smiling fromthe moment I opened the weighty outer cover toreveal a spiral bound handbook containing‘Everything a beginner Pharaoh needs to know’until I finally closed the back cover. Within its 73pages this book, written in a tongue in cheek,irreverent style that would appeal to KS2 readers,manages not only to impart far more facts aboutthe life and role of the Pharaoh than would benormally found in a book for this age group butalso includes plenty of information about clothing,adornment, everyday life and religion; with plentyof suitably gory descriptions of mummificationand the journey to the Afterlife. Much of thisadditional information is included via the comicbook style illustrations and humorous asides.

The content is generally sound apart from areference to Mannut as the swallowing monster,rather than the usual Ammut. The contents andindex pages are clearly set out and there is also auseful Guide to the Gods. Although there are nosuggestions for further reading or websites I’msure any 7 to 11-year-old reading this book would

eagerly search for further information. Your classwill be queuing up to read this one!

Maggie Monteath

Thielbar, Melinda and Helmer, Der-ShingThe Kung Fu Puzzle Lerner, 2010, pp48, £6.99978 0 7613 5392 8

This book is part of an educational series whichaims to teach a variety of things. While its mainfocus is on maths and mathematical ideas, it alsodelivers social and motivational messages. Issuessuch as the importance of team work, trying hard,and respecting family are integrated into thestory. The didactic element (which is centredaround time and temperature) is deliveredthrough a Kung Fu story, and manga, comic bookillustrations. The visual style, and martial artssubject matter, will engage young readers –spoonfuls of sugar helping the maths go down!(Though I wonder whether, like me, they mightrush through the sums to get on with the story?)The narrative includes a code book, andchallenges which are appealing, even though theyare solved by the characters rather than thereader. There are plenty of good, strong femalecharacters, and lots of action pictures. This wouldbe a popular addition to a primary class library.

Sophie Smiley

Welsh, C. E. L. and Singh, LalitKumarHarry HoudiniCampfire, 2010, pp77, £6.99978 9 3800 2825 5

The Campfire imprint publishes graphic-styleillustrated books based on the classics as well asbiographies, mythology and some original novels.The series aims ‘to entertain and educate youngminds’. Classics include Kim, Tom Sawyer and TheInvisible Man.

Houdini tells the life story of Ehrich Weiss whorose to fame from humble beginnings: he startedout as a magician and gradually evolved into anescapologist adopting the title of ‘self liberator’.Always in search of new tricks, his venturesbecame more and more dangerous. Houdinishowed total commitment to his chosen path anddetermination never to let his audience down.

This is a fascinating story beautifully illustrated insubdued tones by Lalit Kumar Singh. How can alady be sawn in half and how does the IndianRope trick work? You will find an explanationhere. Magic and escapology are popular subjectslikely to be motivating for reluctant readers. This isa super series that is highly collectable. It wouldbe an additional bonus if readers then feltmotivated to read more of the series and thenread the original versions of the classics.

Mary Crawford

8 to 12


12–16 Fiction

Augarde, SteveX IsleDavid Fickling Books, 2010, pp480, £7.99978 1 8499 2012 4

In the not too distantfuture the UK is mostlyunderwater following aglobal catastrophe. Theremaining populationcling to the high groundscavenging what theycan to stay alive. Onlythe Eck brothers canoffer some hope; oncein a while a boy can barter his passage on theirboat to X Isle – a place of safety and threemeals a day in return for hard work salvaginggoods from the flooded land. At the beginningof the book we meet Baz and Ray who have leftbehind what remains of their families to try for anew life on the island. But when they get therethey find the stories of good treatment andplentiful food are untrue and they join a groupof boys who are no more than slaves, pittedagainst one another by Preacher John, thepatriarch of the family. The story follows theirattempt to escape from the island.

Augarde has produced an exciting and tautlywritten plot. The characters of the various boysare well defined and their relationships with oneanother are convincing. The friendship betweenBaz and Ray is touching although Ray’s secretwas not too hard to guess. We feel a realempathy with the boys and even the bullieshave their sympathetic side. Boys especially willrecognise themselves and their friends in thisdisparate group who end up united against acommon enemy. The Eck family are the realvillains of the piece and although they are alittle one dimensional, and Preacher John acaricature of the religious maniac, they aresatisfyingly evil so we rejoice in their final come-uppance. There are moments of real danger andtension, and the boys’ plan to capture methanegas to make a bomb is pure genius. This is asubstantial and satisfying read which zips alongwith action, excitement and touches of humour.

Lesley Martin

Barker, Dominic Sharp Returns (Mickey Sharp)Catnip, 2010, pp238, £5.99978 1 84647 050 9

Mickey Sharp is a private eye for teenagers: hehas solved a number of cases (all low-profile,though he may think otherwise). His self-esteemis high and he’s ready to take on another muchcooler case – and do it well. Unfortunately, heends up with a very uncool columnist on theschool newspaper asking him to investigate

election-rigging in the race for Head Boy. Hisgeeky new client, Carl Marks, is up against thehandsome and attractive Tony Lejeune. AlthoughCarl may lack charisma, he makes up for it bypleasing the students with his popular policies.So why do his fellow reporters think he hasn’tgot a hope in the world? This is the point atwhich Mickey is called to come to the rescue. Hefinds himself in competition with his enemyKatie Pierce and makes matters worse by fallingfor the wrong girl, a sassy school reporter calledNicola Cohen. This is a fun, wise-cracking tale byDominic Barker pushing Mickey to the limit. Ishe up to it? Let’s hope so!

Eirys Morley Jones

Bell, Alex Lex Trent Versus The Gods Headline, 2010, pp344, £6.99978 0 7553 5518 1

17-year-old Lex Trent hadbeen born a penniless farmboy who soon tired of theagricultural life ‘gettingstraw in your hair andblisters on your palms’ andhad turned to a life of crimefor which he found he had anatural aptitude. His story isset in a fantasy world, The Globe, buzzing withmagicians and crones and presided over by anumber of rival gods and goddesses. TheGoddess of Luck, having heard of Lex’sreputation as a swindler, cheat and liar, recruitedhim as one of her official followers, in return forher patronage. By nefarious means he becamean apprentice lawyer in a prestigious firm in ‘thelegal capital of the Globe’, Wither City – couldthis be the City of London? He conned thesenior partner, convincing him that he was amost conscientious and dedicated student;another partner, Mr Montgomery Schmidt,however, was one of the few people who couldsee right through him. The novel recounts theadventures and interactions of these twocharacters: the loveable rogue and theapoplectic Mr Schmidt.

The plot bounces forward at a crisp pace andpage upon page is laced with a fairlysophisticated, understated humour which is adelight to read. It is sure to be very popular withyoung adults.

Elizabeth Finlayson

Black, HollyWhite CatVictor Gollancz, 2010, pp311, £18.99 / £10.99978 0 575 09670 7 / 978 0 575 09671 4

Holly Black is famous as the author of TheSpiderwick Chronicles and found an even wideraudience with her books, Tithe, Valiant andIronside. This is the first in a new series entitled

12 to 16Poetry & PlaysNichols, Grace I Have Crossed an Ocean: SelectedPoemsBloodaxe, 2010, pp192, £9.95978 1 85224 858 1

This Bloodaxe anthology gathers a selection ofwork from collections published between 1983and 2006, and ends with nineteen ‘Poems forYounger Readers’ drawn from various collectionsof verse for children. There is a glossary explainingunfamiliar terms, particularly useful for propernouns. This collection demonstrates all that isgreat about Grace Nichols’ poetry: the musical,rhythmic quality greatly aided by the blend ofStandard English and patois; the tactile, sensualimagery from ‘the black swing’ of hair to thegrease which ‘caresses the skin of my tablecloth’,and the sea which becomes ‘the throbbing fruit inme’; the humour, which is warm and infectious,but not always comforting as the Fat BlackWoman, the Long Memoried Woman and theLazy Woman remind us of the struggle to emergefrom stereotype and oppression. The collection‘Sunris’, from 1996, begins with an interestingprose introduction which explains some of thepoet’s ideas and intentions with a playful dig atthe English weather. The poems are wonderful toread aloud – the exuberance of the various waysof organising sound, from the playful assonanceand internal rhymes of the rat in Ararat to the‘blessed’ litany in ‘Sunris’. The poems provokethought, but also smiles – there is real warmthand generosity of spirit here, whether the poemsare out of Africa, out of the Caribbean, or out ofthe land ‘of the budgie and the strawberry’. Awonderful collection.

Frank Startup

New Edition

Thanks to the blessed Ann Jungman once again:her Barn Owl Books has revived in print Plum (98)by Tony Mitton. This books is firmly ensconced inmy own personal Top 10 of single authorcollections of poetry for the young and itreappears with the same distinctive cover, awholly unaged old friend. Why ‘Plum’? That poemand the book concludes with the lines ‘you bear amystery / you hold a key / you have the making /of a whole new tree’. There’s all-sorts here unitedby quality. ‘Green Man Lane’ stands stoutly alonebut would also serve alongside reading LindaNewbery’s lovely recent tale of ‘Lob’. Nonsensesnippets like ‘Freak Cat-Flea’: wordplays, ‘TheAlphabattle’, as well as stories in verse andobservations both gentle and more pointed: all-sorts and all quite splendid. £5.99, 978 1 903015 85 8.

12 to 16


‘The Curseworkers’ and whilst the blurb describesit as an adult novel, it is actually aimed at theyoung adult market.

The central character is called Cassel, a youngman getting to grips with the fact that he killedthe girl he loved. However this is not the world aswe know it. This is a world where magic has beenbanned and yet is still wanted. This has led to thegrowth of five major crime families, who aremagic workers. Cassel belongs to one of thesefamilies, but does not know what his talent issupposed to be. He is bullied by his brothers, hisfather is dead and his mother in prison forworking magic. Added to this he is haunted bydreams of a white cat which somehow links tothe death of his friend Lila, a crime he cannotremember committing. The story is about howCassel uncovers some of the secrets at the core ofhis family, secrets which change his perception ofhimself and those around him.

This is an extremely complicated story withamazing twists and turns. The back cover quotesit as being ‘The Sopranos meets Six feet Under’,something which will no doubt attract a newgroup of readers. Holly Black is amazinglyimaginative in her plot lines and mixes theeveryday with the magical. She has created astory that is compelling and repelling, but whichyou want to follow to the end.

Margaret Pemberton

Brashares, Ann The Summer that ChangedEverythingCorgi, 2010, pp275, £5.99 978 0 552 56098 6

Following on from her successwith the ‘Summers of theSisterhood’ series, AnnBrashares has created a trioof friends for younger readers.Polly, Jo and Ama are driftingapart as they make thetransition from Junior toSenior High. Their differentplans for the summer seem designed to drivethem away from each other. Afro-American, highlyacademic, Ama, wins a scholarship placement ona summer camp but is horrified that she has beenselected for an outdoor survival expedition ratherthan the academic school she had set her hearton. Polly decides that her life would be better ifshe could become a supermodel; she diets andbaby-sits for local families to earn the money forthe modelling course she wants to attend. Jo’sparents are splitting up and she spends thesummer at their beach house working at the localsurfside restaurant.

The characters seem somewhat stereo-typical;however the reader is able to develop empathyfor the girls as they struggle with their personaldifficulties. This will appeal to girls growing up in

early secondary school years. The theme of thethree willows offers a philosophical thread to thegirls’ stories.

Wendy Worley

Bush, Penelope Alice in TimePiccadilly, 2010, pp250, £6.99978 1 84812 077 8

This is an engaging and deceptively undemandingnovel which will appeal to girls who enjoyrelationships-based fiction. The novel is narratedin the continuous present which helps to establishan informal and conversational tone. The narratoris fourteen-year-old Alice who at the start of thenovel is standing in the rain in a pink nylonbridesmaid’s dress with her seven year old brotherbecause the taxi has dropped them at the wrongvenue for her dad’s wedding. Alice fantasisesabout going to live with her dad and his newwife; anything to escape the dingy Victorian houseshe has to call home and her mother’s constantcriticisms. School isn’t much better; her only friendis Imogen who fails to cover for her when Alicesneaks out for a date with a sixth-former.

But everything changes when Alice takes a rideon a roundabout which takes her back to the past– and she has to re-live her life as a seven yearold. Alice gains insights into her parents’relationship which transform her feelings for hermother. She learns to handle friendships at schoolmore effectively too and realises that she can behappier if she becomes less self-absorbed. Whenshe returns to her future she discovers that shehas become a more confident and contentedperson. Alice is an appealing character despite herselfishness and girls who enjoy Cathy Cassidy andKaren McCrombie will respond positively to herstory.

Sandra Bennett

Carrington, JimInside My HeadBloomsbury, 2010, pp341, £6.99978 1 4088 0271 7

This is a welcome addition to the growing numberof anti-bullying novels. There are four maincharacters: Zoe, who has just unwillingly moved torural Norfolk, Gary, who is having a rough time athome, Knaggs, the school bully and David,Knaggs’ friend. The story is narrated by three ofthese teenagers; Zoe, Gary and David. While eachfurthers the story, each has a different perspectiveas well. The author chooses not to use the bullyas a narrator so the reader cannot learn why he isa bully and he seems to have no redeemingfeatures. This ensures the readers have nosympathy towards him. Knaggs is constantlygoading and ridiculing Gary unmercifully, notbecause he is small and weak but because he is aloner and has a temper. Carrington shows greatskill in building up the tension as Gary struggles

against incessant andunbearable provocation byKnaggs. There are a couple ofincidents when Gary doeslash out at his antagonist,and then gets into trouble,but Knaggs continues andright up to the end of thebook the tension rises asGary is driven to desperate measures. Zoe, as anewcomer and outsider, is his only ally but he hasdifficulties in forging any sort of relationship.David is uncomfortable with Knaggs’s cruelty buttakes no action struggling between guilt and fear.This is a very well written and well crafted bookwhich examines, from several angles, bullying andits possible consequences. Highly recommendedwith a note that it contains strong language.

Audrey Baker

Cotterill, JoStar CrossedRed Fox, 2010, pp263, £5.99 978 1 849 41205 6

Limb, SueGirl 16, Five Star FiascoBloomsbury, 2010, pp301, £5.99 978 0 7475 9916 6

Hopkins, CathyMillion Dollar MatesSimon & Schuster, 2010, pp247,£6.99978 1 84738 757 8

Mlynowski, SarahGimme a CallOrchard, 2010, pp328, £5.99 978 1 40830 978 0

Plaja, LuisaSwapped by a KissCorgi, 2010, pp244, £5.99 978 0 552 56096 2

Stainton, KerisDella says: OMG!Orchard, 2010, pp270, £5.99 978 1 40830 427 3

Having sorted varieties of titles to send to eachreviewer those left behind with the Review Editorinvariably reflect the over-subscribed genres ofpublishing. Novels of a romantic inclination aimedat female young teen readers, dealing with triviawhich can seem so crucial, abound and aftersome have gone to some reviewers there’s still adozen, so here goes: a collective review. StarCrossed is from the ‘Sweet Hearts’ series with ayucky hearts all-over cover. The wholly unoriginalplot device has the unattainable ‘cutest boy ever’cast as Romeo in a drama club production.Unassuming Fliss is to be Juliet whilst brash andbold Samantha is the thorn of this red-rosey


headed situation. In spite of a mis-spelling in thefirst direct quote from the play itself this wholeconfection is perfect for those who love tosuspend disbelief in cliché close-clinches with thesurety of a safe liaison eventually.

In setting out on such a mass-review of this genresome equilibrium of sanity is maintained byhaving a Sue Limb book to save to be read last ofall. Here in Girl 16, Five Star Fiasco there’s no‘cutest’ boy, certainly not the actual boyfriend,and any stunningly cute girl is merely given awalk-on, and stalk-off, role. Jess Jordan’s waywardlife continues as happily crisis ridden, and veryfunnily, as in previous stories. This time she andthe individualist Fred set out to organise a charitydinner-dance, the inevitable mis and disorganisation threatening disaster looms but allturns out right. Excepting that a majorrelationship wedge comes to upset Jess’s triumphas yet again perfection, fortunately for the reader,eludes her.

I could not be bothered with the books about theworldly wealthy set in a style echoing ‘GossipGirl’: sort of up-market panto routines. Likewisethe variant stories of girls at some very selectschool and, would you believe it, with some evenmore sub-culture power group lurking. HoweverCathy Hopkins does have a track record of writingoriginality and her device in Million Dollar Matesis for Jess Hall’s dad to be manager of a luxuryapartment block. This brings Jess into contact withA list related youngsters as her torn loyalties fromformer friendships lead her to realise that perfectis not always perfection. In Gimme a Call Devitumbles into a decorative fountain so her phonemisplaces calls so she can talk to her own former,younger, self. But Devi discovers that changes inher previous behaviours turn out not to have theexpected, or desired, alternates in her present life.Though Dr Who fans might see holes in some ofthe time-scale logic, simply following thecharacters and plot through time after time ofalterations in life creates an amusing variation onthe boy-girl relationship as Devi finds out that theend of a phase is not the be-all and end-all.

Swapped by a Kiss has a group of US, andtherefore – like – obviously cool, teens at a minormusic festival in the UK. Insecure Rachel arrivesunexpectedly and the shock of seeing her belovedkissing ‘cute’ Jo sends her into a spiral ofswapped identity with Jo herself. Mishaps, somevery funny scenes, misunderstandings and adawning enlightenment build apace through thestory. In the end self-reliance and self-confidencewin through, and romance of course. Della Says:OMG! is responsibly labelled with that magnet foryounger readers browsing library shelves ‘Notsuitable for younger readers’. In this story, highlydesirable Dan amazingly fancies not very on-the-ball Della. But someone has stolen her diary andis distributing her secrets and private thoughts. Onthe whole this is a well told story though the finalwhodunit is somewhat odd. In the build up

perfectly timed revelations about Della are slippedinto a pocket at a party, and planted on a carwindscreen, which may be a clever reader-diverting plot element: it certainly makes itastonishing that the protagonist turns out to besomeone a very great distance away.

Chris Brown

Dashner, James The Maze Runner Chicken House, 2010, pp371, £6.99978 1 906427 50 4

Thomas cannot rememberanything before waking up ina metal box – apart from hisname. He struggles to makesense of his surroundingswhen the box opens and hefinds he is in a walledenclosure with around fiftyother boys. The boys sprinkletheir conversation with words Thomas cannotunderstand so it takes him a while to realise thathe is trapped in a world where danger is a fact ofdaily life, present in the Maze which surroundsthe boys’ homestead in the form of the Grievers,hybrid creatures, part flesh, part machine whosesting means death. Thomas learns that every thirtydays the box brings a new boy to the enclosureand that life inside the enclosure has its ownroutines. Thomas knows he wants to be a mazerunner, but does not understand why. But thesesmall certainties are challenged when the boxbrings a girl and the message that she is ‘the lastone’. The girl cannot be woken from a comalikesleep and Thomas is convinced that he has mether before. From this point onwards all the rulesthe boys have lived by begin to change. The wallsof the Maze stop moving, no more supplies arriveand the sun disappears from the sky. It becomesclear that the environment the boys are kept in isan artificial one and Thomas and the others face adesperate search to escape the Maze.

The novel is cleverly plotted and concludes withthe realisation – by the reader, not thecharacters – that their ‘escape’ is all part of themysterious Creators’ plan to promote survival in apost apocalyptic world. The Epilogue leaves roomfor a possible sequel; the characters and ideas arestrong enough to sustain further development. Anabsorbing and tense novel which mid to olderteens will devour.

Sandra Bennett

Deas, StephenThe Thief-Taker’s ApprenticeVictor Gollancz, 2010, pp271, £9.99978 0 575 09447 5

Fourteen-year-old Berren is a thief who pays hisearnings to the harsh master of a criminal band.Dazzled by the prize awarded to the thief-taker ata public execution he tries to snatch the reward

but fails humiliatingly. Astonished by the temerityof the boy, the thief-taker decides to take Berrenon as his apprentice.

The story is set in a Dickensian fantasy world ofpolitical intrigue and violence. The material andemotional poverty is described in detail. Thefast–paced, well-plotted story is full of action,chase scenes and sword fights. Berren andSyannis, the thief-taker are both well-drawn andsympathetic characters who struggle to maintaincodes of decency and honour in a murkyunderworld setting. The older Syannis refuses totrain the boy in swords until he learns to read. Theteenage girl, Lilissa although a more onedimensional character, provides a counter-balancein a large cast of male characters. Author Deashas previously written two adult dragon lordnovels. This book is the first in a new young adultseries and will appeal to fantasy fans particularlyboys of 14+.

Rosemary Woodman

De Goldi, KateThe 10pm QuestionTemplar, 2010, pp251, £10.99978 1 84877 467 4

Frankie Parsons lives with hismother, father (known asUncle George), sisterGordana and demanding cat‘The Fat Controller’. Hisextrovert elder brother Louie,who has now left home,makes the occasionalwelcome appearance. Life inYear 8 ought to be happy enough. He has a closefriend Gigs, with whom he shares many interestsincluding a secret language they call Chilun, anda new and colourful friend Sydney, with her livelyand direct way of communicating. But somethingis badly wrong. Why is Frankie the one whoseems to hold the household together and why ishe continually plagued by what he describes as‘rodent thoughts’ and worries about his cake-making mother who never leaves the house?

The 10pm Question is a subtle book about whatit is to be a teenager in a dysfunctional householdwhere nothing seems to work and where oneyoung member is burdened beyond his capacity.De Goldi is a witty writer who gradually builds thelife of her characters, depicting their strengths,weaknesses and passions. Frankie’s family is welldrawn throughout and there are some wonderfulportraits here of ‘The Aunties’, Mr A, Frankie’steacher, and Frankie’s family and friends, Gigs andSydney, but it is perhaps in the exploration of theclose relationship between Frankie and his motherthat De Goldi writes most profoundly. As they sitin his mother’s room just before going to bed,Frankie asks his 10pm questions and his motherpatiently tries to put his many fears to rest. Thereader eventually comes to understand hismother’s fragile personality and how seriously the

12 to 16

12 to 16


silence in the family about her condition impactsupon them all, but especially on the highly-wrought and sensitive Frankie, who in the enddesperately needs support himself.

Rachel Bowler

Fisher, CatherineCrown of AcornsHodder, 2010, pp288, £5.99978 0 340 97007 2

Crown of Acorns follows three parallel storiesbrought together by the mystery behind a sacredspring and the world’s first circular terraced street– the King’s Circus in the city of Bath. The firstnarrative, given by Bladud, the mythical builder ofthe city, provides the basis for all the strands ofthe novel and it sets the tone of the book. Themyth of the Leper King attracts the interest ofJonathan Forrest, an eighteenth century architectwith a vision, whose story – the second narrative– is told by Forrest’s young apprentice Zac. Finally,the architect’s project – the King’s Circus –becomes the setting for the third narrative, givenby a contemporary teenage girl who is trying toescape her haunting past.

The way the three stories work together ismasterfully accomplished, which makes it easy forthe reader to jump from one time frame toanother. There is something intriguing, puzzling,dark and almost mystical about all three storiesand although initially I was not fully convinced bythe impact of Sulis’s horrific childhood experienceleading to putting her in an almost witness-protection-type of programme, I became intriguedby the girl’s obsession and I was pleasantlysurprised to find that her story turned out to befar less straightforward than I originally thought.A sophisticated and beautifully written novel witha brilliant climax.

Marzena Currie

Grant, Helen The Glass DemonPuffin, 2010, pp405, £6.99978 0 141 32576 7

You rarely find a book that’sgripping, full of chills andkeeps you hooked from thefirst page. But, if you’relooking for one, then this isit. The Glass Demon is HelenGrant’s second book. It iswritten from the point ofview of Lin, aged 17, whomoves to a remote part of Germany for herfather’s job. She isn’t expecting to find a lot ofinterest or excitement there, but a chilling andgruesome discovery on their arrival makes herthink she might be wrong. This discovery isfollowed by a number of deaths; Lin knows thatsomeone is after her and whoever it is wants herout of the way. And they aren’t going to rest until

she’s gone... she can trust no one. Lin’s voice isintriguing and you won’t want to put this bookdown. But be warned – it’s not for the faint-hearted!

Eirys Morley Jones

Green, John Paper TownsBloomsbury, 2010, pp312, £6.99978 1 4088 0659 3

It’s May in Orlando, Florida,with Prom and High Schoolexams just weeks away.Quentin ‘Q’ Jacobsen aimsto avoid the former andkeep a generally lowprofile; he likes routines, helikes being bored. Until thenight of May 5th when heis dragged into the crazy world of Margo, the girlnext door. Margo is beautiful and charismatic andinsists that Q accompany her on a night ofvengeance. Margo’s boyfriend has been two-timing her and Margo’s plans for the night involvespray paint, dead fish and compromisingphotographs of her enemies. At one point duringthe night Margo and Q look down at their townfrom the SunTrust Building and Q begins to seewith Margo’s eyes how fake it all is. This is wherethe novel goes into a gear most teen fiction neveruses, exploring the superficial values of urban life:where paper people live in their paper houses,burning the future to stay warm. The finale of thiscrazy night is breaking into SeaWorld and dancingto the piped muzak. But events take a morebizarre and potentially sinister turn the nextmorning when Margo doesn’t appear at school.Soon the police are involved in investigating herdisappearance – but Q realises that she has lefthim clues which take him on a journey acrossseveral states and into a more complex worldthan the one in which he has been living.

Paper Towns is gripping, thought-provoking andwitty. It uses the by now familiar world of highschool, teenage angst and rivalries as aspringboard into more existential territory. It willentertain mid to older teens and extend theirexpectations of fiction. An outstanding novel.

Sandra Bennett

Grisham, JohnTheodore Boone: Young LawyerHodder & Stoughton, 2010, pp263, £12.99978 1 444 71304 6

John Grisham’s first foray into teenage fiction hasresulted in a curate’s egg of a book. It is obviouslythe first in a series and we are being introducedto a clean living, serious young man, earnest inthat very American way, who is fascinated by thelaw and very close to it because both his parentsare lawyers. In some ways he’s a curiouslyinnocent lad who reminded me of Emil in Emil

and the Detectives. The very straightforward storyrolls along although it isn’t exactly action-packedas Theo discovers that an illegal immigrant hasvital evidence which will change the verdict in amurder trial. The problem – very sympatheticallypresented – is how to persuade the witness torisk all by drawing attention to himself.

It is, however, a tiresomely didactic book (in thesame way that Jodie Picault’s ‘issues’ novels areor Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World is). Again andagain Grisham contrives to have one characterexplain points of law and legal principles toanother. It’s well enough written and not boring,but in places it feels like a thinly disguised lawlesson for Year 8. In fact you could do worse thanuse it as a class reader for a citizenship classprovided you take account of the minordifferences between UK and US law.

I also found it distractingly implausible. Yes, ofcourse a degree of implausibility is integral to allfiction – but the best makes you believe itanyway. In this case I found it very hard toconnive in the premise that adults at his schoolwould consult the 13-year-old Theo for legaladvice or that he’d be able to sneak into thecellars beneath the court to watch proceedingsunbeknown to the adults, or be able to hack intoso many protected websites. I’m not sure, either,why Grisham included the sub-plot in which afriend of Theo’s is awaiting a custody verdictbecause it didn’t seem to go anywhere – perhapsit will be picked up in the next book.

Susan Elkin

Han, Jenny The Summer I Turned PrettyPuffin, 2010, pp276, £6.99978 0 1413 3053 2

Every girl has one boy whoshe really likes but who nevergives her a second glanceand every girl remembers theday that boy noticed her forthe first time. During thesummer Isabel has thismoment – except for her it’stwice as good ... becauseshe’s got TWO boys! Every summer Isabel spendsthe summer at her family friends’ house andnotices all the boys, but this year is the summerthey’re going to start noticing her. She has Conrad– who she’s been in love with for longer thanforever and who is always unavailable – andthere’s Jeremiah – funny, friendly and the only boywho has ever paid her much attention. Isabel ‘sgot a beautiful stretch of sand, a swimming pool,friends and two boys. Absolutely anything couldhappen...

This book is the first in a romantic series and is anideal read for teens, especially lazing in the sunon the beach.

Eirys Morley Jones

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Harland, RichardWorldshaker Templar, 2010, pp370, £6.99978 1 84877 527 5

On reading the first line of the blurb ofWorldshaker, alarm bells rang as thoughts driftedto Reeve’s Mortal Engines and the similarity of thegiant ‘mobile cities’ in both. This was going to beanother ‘fantasy’ using a theme already writtenabout. How wrong one could have been? Set 150years after ‘Worldshaker’ was built, Queen VictoriaII and Prince Albert are on the throne, and theworld is traversed by several juggernauts whotrade with the natives on the ground but leave awake of destruction behind them. It quicklybecomes apparent that this distinctive novel ismore alternative history than fantasy with a verydistinctive Victorian undertone and references to‘the Old Country’, making it fit into thesteampunk subgenre.

From the first page the author may have thereader hooked as the ‘upper deck’ ColbertPorpentine, future Supreme Commander of thejuggernaut ‘Worldshaker’ encounters a ‘Filthy’ girl,Riff, from below who had escaped from beingchanged into a ‘menial’. For reasons unknown tohim Col, finds himself helping her avoid recaptureand return to below. In the process Col learns thathe has been lied to about the filthies, and thatthey are people like him. As the book progresses,the author cleverly gives the reader snippets ofthe history of the juggernaut and the world at thepace Col learns about them.

Col’s world is turned upside down as the truerealities of what goes on below decks hits himliterally when some time after helping Riff, he isfollowed by school bullies (sons of rival families tothe role of commander) to the feeding chutes tosend a ‘gift’ to Riff. He is pushed down the chuteand finds himself in the bowels of the juggernautwhere the filthies feed the boilers that power theengines. After avoiding being killed by them, withthe help of Riff and a bit of subterfuge, he returnsto the Upper Decks, but from then on is ostracisedby friends and the other power hungry familieswho won’t associate with someone who has beenBelow.

Worldshaker is a novel of many parts touching onthe themes of class, snobbery, elitism, slavery,subjugation, environment destruction, power andrelationships. It is a rolling adventure with twistsand turns which keeps one wanting to read on.

Frances Sinclair

Hooper, MaryFallen GraceBloomsbury, 2010, pp309, £8.99978 0 7475 9913 5

We are first introduced to Grace Parkes as shetravels on the Necropolis Express to BrookwoodCemetery to bury her still born baby by hiding it ina rich lady’s coffin. From this promising beginning

Hooper weaves a narrative oflife in Victorian London whichincludes fraud, deception,friendship and love. Graceand her sister Lily areorphans in poorcircumstances; unknown tothem their father diedoverseas and left them afortune which the unscrupulous Unwin familyplan to defraud them of. The Unwins run asuccessful undertaking business and Hooperincludes a myriad of fascinating detail aboutVictorian attitudes to death and mourningwithout them ever intruding on the story, and thechapter headings of contemporary newspaperaccounts, advertisements and epitaphs give apleasing sense of the historical context of thestory.

Grace is a strong character, resourceful andresilient, who has to protect and provide for hersimple sister. The secondary characters are welldrawn and the relationships between themconvincing, the plot is satisfying and the narrativepacy. Throughout the language is consistent withthe book’s setting, without either archaisms oranachronisms. Any book set in Victorian Londonattracts the epithet ‘Dickensian’, in this case itwould not be undeserved as Hooper has given usa rich and textured historical novel, which shouldappeal to boys as well as girls.

Lesley Martin

Jago, Lucy Montacute HouseBloomsbury, 2010, pp282, £10.99978 1 4088 0376 9

Published by Bloomsbury,Montacute House wouldnot look out of place in theadult fiction section of thelocal library. With itsgrown-up styled dustjacked it is sure to catchthe eye of the more adeptteenage reader.

Appealing mainly to girls, Jago tells the story ofCess, the poultry girl on the Montacute estatewho becomes embroiled in a harrowingadventure of witchcraft and wizardry in anattempt to foil a plot to murder the queen. Thestory has many unexpected turns which help tomaintain the pace. Set in the 1500s, Jagointroduces speech which the reader may beunfamiliar with, however its context aidsunderstanding and only serves to make the storymore authentic.

This is Jago’s first novel for teenage readers andshould prove popular with settings and themesnot often seen in this market. This book would bevery suitable for KS3 and 4 libraries.


12 to 16


12–16 New Editions

Ian Beck’s Pastworld (09) is superb; trulyatmospheric, truly mysterious and truly athriller. A Victorian London is preserved,complete with compliant population, for theedification of modern folk. But past andpresent threaten to collide as a ruthless serialkiller raises havoc and young Caleb and Evefind themselves embroiled in a complexity ofevents. Bloomsbury, £6.99, 978 1 4088 02267. Genesis (09) by Bernard Beckett waspublished to great acclaim as both adult andyoung-adult editions. The blurb is absolutelyaccurate in using ‘dazzling’ to describe this, itis an extraordinary story effortlessly conveyingphilosophical and ethical niceties amidst afascinating plot. An isolated island people’sequilibrium is shattered by the emergence of ahero as 14-year-old Alex becomes the meansof realisations and revelations on the truenature of their world. Quercus, £6.99, 978 1894724 930 2. A lurid pink cover mightunfortunately restrict the appeal of What ISaw and How I Lied (09) by Judy Blundell. Yes,this is a love story but also an immenselypowerful and dramatic novel of relationships,betrayal and death which leaves a lastingimpression. Scholastic, £6.99, 978 1 407116 15 0.

With If I Stay (09) Gayle Forman treads a fineline between the heartfelt and the maudlinwith great assurance and aplomb. Mia isalone in her life and death predicament, hersorrowful tale is in the end effectively,gloriously, affirmative. Definitions, £6.99, 9781 862 30831 2. Adèle Geras gave us brilliantevocations of the ancient world with Troy andIthaka. With Dido (09) she again takes aclassical setting and story and breathesfreshness, and above all an up-to-dateconnection, into the people and the placeswhilst skilfully remaining faithful to hersources. David Fickling Books, £6.99, 978 1 849 92006 3.

In Julie and Me and Michael Owen MakesThree (02) Alan Gibbons reveals a tender andextremely humourous side to his writing. Hereis another love story but closely intertwinedwith football, fortunes sway to and from oneend to the other as Terry’s family, footie andfemale-related problems escalate. Orion,£7.99, 978 1 4440 0086 3.

A 3-in-1 for Cathy Hopkins has a trio of herhighly popular series, from 2005–2006,combined in Mates, Dates, Strictly Gorgeous.She is a writer who, so cleverly that it appearseffortless, manages to incorporate some depthand a wealth of characterisation within aglitzy, frothy, attraction which certainlyappeals to her readership. Piccadilly, £8.99,978 1 84812 079 2.


Lanagan, Margo White TimeDavid Fickling Books, 2010, pp256, £6.99978 1 84992 055 1

An eclectic collection ofshort stories from the authorof Tender Morsels... Sheneeldraws the short straw withher work experienceassignment and finds herselfat the White Time Labswhilst all her friends getassigned to Release Parties,so whereas they're meeting celebrities and havingfun, she's redirecting entities with Lon. In anotherstory Dybbol is a worker ant, scurrying about hisday, safely content in his routine, until he isnoticed by the Queen and marked by her scent asher next breeding partner. Suddenly he is reveredand given privileges but is not happy with hiselevated status. Billie runs away to the familybeach house after she has had yet anotherargument with James where she comes across aninjured man in strange heavy armour and helpshim. Suddenly she finds herself in between herreal world and another one full of warriors andfighting and hardships, but to which she isstrangely drawn. These are just a few of variety ofstories found in this book for older readers, eachone being very different and quite unusual – donot expect any happy endings or nicely roundedconclusions. A mix of science fiction and fantasy,they are quite demanding themes and will makethe reader stop, think and question. And possiblyfeel slightly uncomfortable.

Barbara Band

Lo, MalindaAshHodder, 2010, pp291, £5.99978 0 340 98837 4

This is an engaging and absorbing reworking ofthe Cinderella fairy tale. Orphaned as a child, Ashis forced to work as a servant to her cruel step-mother and thoughtless step-sisters whose soleambitions are to marry well at court. As shegrows up Ash becomes aware that her belovedmother’s legacy has given her gifts which enableher to see into the mysterious world of magic andthe old ways. Befriended by Sidhean – ahandsome and charismatic fairy, she is increasingdrawn into his circle. But she also meets Kaisa,the King’s magnificent huntress who awakensdeeper longings and desireswithin her.

This is lush and sensuousretelling of an archetypalstory by a talented debutauthor. Ash’s world with itsheady mixture of magic andreality is carefully craftedand conceived. The passion

and intensity of adolescence is well-conveyed asAsh struggles with her conflicting desires.Although not described in detail, it is clear thatshe must pay a sexual price to be released fromher debt to Sidhean. Living apart from thestructure of conventional society, Ash is free toexplore her growing attraction to Kaisa withoutreference to what others may think of hersituation. A young fantasy author to watch, Lohas written a fascinating novel for mature teens.

Rosemary Woodman

Lord, GabrielleConspiracy 365 – Book 6 – JuneHodder, 2010, pp181, £5.99 978 0 340 99649 2

These Conspiracy 365 books are appearing eachmonth so this June title, halfway through, istherefore the 6th of 12 segments of the wholestory. Cal Ormond is on the run: on his 15thbirthday his father was killed and someone is outto ensure he never reaches the age of 16. Notonly is he hunted by relentless gangsters but alsopursued by an inheritance of family stories, loreand interpretations. There’s a great secret, ‘theOrmond Singularity’, a great treasure, ‘theOrmond Jewel’ and unfolding revelations seemlinked with the constant threats. Cal himselfsurvives by being extraordinarily resourceful, hepiloted a jet out of May’s episode and during oneelement of this June action a real cliff-hanger isavoided by his being able to hi-jack a convenienthang glider. Although framed to be wanted by thepolice so he cannot find official aid anywhere Caldoes have friends to help him. This includes aburgeoning relationship with a girl, Winter, whomay well have her own secretive background.

This book carries a helpful reminder that the storyis set in Australia where June is a winter month.Fans of tales with loads of action who like to getfully immersed in a fictional situation will begetting caught up in this sequence andanticipating each new addition with alacrity. Thewhole device is supported by a website andthere’s every opportunity to become whollysaturated. As a 12-volume thriller the actualbooks may well have an in-demand shelf-life inlibraries long after topical currency fades.

Chris Brown

Lynch Williams, CarolThe Chosen OneSimon & Schuster, 2010, pp213, £6.99978 1 84738 938 1

Kyra, aged thirteen going on fourteen, has grownup in a polygamous religious community wherebehaviour, dress, thinking and marriage are tightlycontrolled and where men are expected to take atleast three wives and father many children. Booksare banned and there is no regular contact withthe world outside the Compound where the sectis sequestered. When her family receives a decree

A book with the author name of MargaretMahy always promises to be a rather specialtreat and Heriot (09) fully justifies theexpectation. It is a fantasy, in many waysfalling into a well trodden device, a poor-background boy having just those essentialpowers to bring him into the presence of theRuler. What is special is the writer’s ability toreveal the universal trials of discoveringoneself and transcending apparent limitationsas her hero’s brushes with intrigue and powerbattles reveal his own struggles to come toterms with himself. Faber, £6.99, 978 0 57123211 6. Keeper (09) is the third novel by MalPeet to feature the sports journalist PaulFaustino. Within a football obsessed SouthAmerican setting this book has a focus on alegendary goalkeeping hero who had grownup a poor lad with a remarkable talent and,as it emerges, an even more remarkabletrainer. Once again from this writer comes abrilliant book, thoroughly and richlyentertaining. Walker, £6.99, 978 1 4063 2806 6.

Puffin have gone for the soft-focus in theircover designs for Meg Rosoff paperbacks. TheBride’s Farewell (09) cover girl has anabundance of blonde locks though the girl inthe story is delightfully feisty, independentlyminded and very strong-willed. Here is aHardy framework of a historical tale but withthe unHardylike twist of a heroine who willnot be put-upon however much fate throws ather. Her strength is rooted in her loyalty to thebrother who depends on her, it is acompellingly written novel, strictly speaking aromance but with more of a practical romanticstreak. Puffin, £6.99, 978 0 141 32340 4.Revolver (09) is a relatively short book whichis phenomenally taut, brilliantly paced andastonishingly written. Set in the Arctic in1910, we meet Sig, alone except for thefrozen body of his father, then a stranger’sarrival triggers, literally, terror and revelations:this is a thrilling literary thriller from MarcusSedgewick. Orion, £6.99, 978 1 444 00005 4.

Finally two revitalised titles from theenterprise of Five Leaves Publications. Followa Shadow (89) is a time-lapse of a story aswell crafted as ever by the masterly RobertSwindells. In revisiting his own plot involving aschool visit to Haworth the author has cleverlywrought his own time-play to bring things upto date at one end of his spectrum whilst theBrontës remain just as ever at the other. £5.99978 1905 512867.

Gill Vickery’s The Ivy Crown (01) won her theFidler First Novel Award, the story involves theaftermath of the death of a mother, a valuableviolin and a centuries old accusation ofwitchcraft, altogether an intriguing andrewarding book. £5,99, 978 1905 512850.

12 to 16

12 to 16


from Prophet Childs himself informing them thatKyra must marry her Uncle Hyrum, a man who isnot only part of her family but considerably olderthan herself, she rebels. Already in love withanother member of the sect, the young JoshuaJohnson, Kyra faces a terrible dilemma. Does shemake a bid for freedom or stay and settle for alife of subservience?

The Chosen One is partlove story, part dystopia,part attack on religioustyranny with echoes ofJohn Wyndham’s TheChrysalids and MargaretAtwood’s The Handmaid’sTale. Readers shouldexpect to be shocked andchallenged by this angry,brave and tender book. One of the most chillinglines in the novel is Kyra’s realisation, later echoedby Joshua, that the girls are the property of theolder men in the community: ‘We are here for themen’. Her own mother is ill and pregnant for theeighth time in the story and Lynch Williams, whilenot exactly calling for militant feminism in thisbook, reminds us all too clearly that one of thechief indicators of a civilised society is the way inwhich it treats its women and children. It is plainfrom this novel that the author feels we have along way to go in terms of gender equality. Shehas created a spirited heroine in the form of Kyra,already rebelling by reading harmless butforbidden books from the Ironton County MobileLibrary on Wheels and meeting a young sectmember in secret. While Kyra faces brutality andcoercion as a consequence of her desire for self-determination, there is hope in the story, mostly inthe form of female solidarity from within her ownfamily, but unfortunately this does not translateinto practical help, which Kyra must seekelsewhere. The Chosen One is a heart-breakingbook which is highly recommended for the libraryfrom the upper end of KS3 onwards, but also as astarting point for discussions in the classroomabout personal freedom and choice.

Rachel Bowler

Mackintosh, SamanthaKisses for LulaEgmont, 2010, pp370, £5.99978 1 4052 4962 1

The decorative, predominately pink cover and thetitle make it clear from the start what type ofbook this is. It is narrated in the form of a diary bythe protagonist, Tallula, whose sixteenth birthdayis just days away. This is the cause of considerableworry, even panic, for her as she has not yet beenkissed. It is apparently vital to achieve this beforeshe is sixteen or she will be doomed for life asjinxed. All her previous efforts have resulted insome injury or other accident, hence the idea thatshe is jinxed. The novel traces her renewed efforts.There are some secondary problems mainly

concerning Lula’s family; apart from sibling rivalry,Lula’s father is drinking too much and shesuspects he is having an affair while her mother, alibrarian, has lost a valuable document which isvital to stop an unscrupulous developer destroyinga site of special interest. Lula is the narrator, usinga very informal voice and a great deal of teenagevocabulary like ‘frikking’ or ‘eew’. There is plentyof humour and a degree of suspense. It is a quick,light-hearted read which will appeal to girls from12 up.

Audrey Baker

Malley, Gemma The ReturnersBloomsbury, 2010, pp257, £6.99978 1 4088 0090 4

The Returners is set in the near future, but againsta background all too familiar today. This chillingand thought provoking book is not just a goodversus evil story. Will suffers the pain of thememories that possess him, the pain of losing hismother in a mysterious ‘suicide’, memories of eviland atrocities through history and of beingfollowed and watched by strangers with odd eyes.Will’s father is a lawyer. His father’s friend Patrickwas a former policeman but is now leading agroup who are determined to send immigrantshome, and not averse to planting evidence to gaintheir ends. He exerts a great deal of influenceover Will’s father.

Eventually Will discovers from the mysteriousfollowers that he, like them, is a ‘returner’destined to keep returning through differentperiods of history, to take up a new life and toabsorb the sorrows and atrocities of humanity. Tohis horror he finds that he is an oppressor ratherthan one of the oppressed. He decides to fightback against his ‘destiny’ and in the processmakes some surprising discoveries about himself,his father and his past.

Rosemary Good

Ness, PatrickMonsters of MenWalker Books, 2010, pp602, £10.99978 1 4063 2594 2

This powerful and eagerlyawaited conclusion to the‘Chaos Walking’ trilogy willnot disappoint fans. Over600 pages the warringfactions of the psychopathic‘Mayor’ Prentiss, power-hungry Mistress Coyle andthe vast army of indigenousSpackles – with the lateintervention of the spaceship of settlers fromEarth – do battle on an epic scale. The story isnarrated in turn by Todd, Viola and a third, benton vengeance. The use of contrasting fonts helpsdistinguish them and is particularly effective in

communicating the Noise, or thoughts, of themale characters. The connection that this provides,for those who are tuned in or can project theirown thoughts into others, becomes increasinglysignificant. Though the story rockets along with itsviolent battle scenes and endless cliff-hangers, itis also a complex exploration of war, the nature ofpower and the price of peace. All the protagonistsare faced with moral dilemmas in which thereader is closely involved, weighing up personalloyalties and desires against the greater good.Many of the loose ends from the previous booksare tied up satisfactorily, but much is leftunresolved at the end. A thought provoking read,and an exciting one.

Marianne Bradnock

Nicholson, WilliamRich and MadEgmont, 2010, pp342, £6.99978 1 4052 4739 9

Rich and Mad tells the story of first love, first sexand everything in between. Main character MaddyFisher decides it is time she fell in love whilelikeable geek Rich Ross is trying to woo Maddy’sglamorous best friend. Rich and Maddy aresupported by a cast of other likeable (and somenot-so likeable) characters on their quest for truelove. The book is an enjoyable read and readerswill care about what happens to the characters –particularly as the path to true love does not runsmoothly. Readers will be delighted when Maddyand Rich realise that in fact they belong together.

This book is, however, one which may not besuitable for all school libraries due to sexualreferences. Maddy and her peer group seem toequate falling in love to having sex. The earlystages of her ‘falling in love’ campaign involvearranging contraception with her doctor andwatching pornography with her best friend forperformance tips. In addition after Rich andMaddy decide that they are meant for each otherthey very quickly consummate the relationship.There is also a teen character who gets sexualkicks from physically abusing his girlfriends.

Rich and Mad is not a fairy story or a book likelyto be suitable for younger teens. However, it isone which will be enjoyed by those at anappropriate stage for its content.

Frances Breslin

Rees, CeliaThe Fool’s GirlBloomsbury, 2010, pp308, £10.99978 0 7475 9732 2

Twelfth Night is the inspiration for this story. CeliaRees looks beyond the ending of Shakespeare’splay and imagines the lives of the charactersafterwards. The Fool’s Girl of the title is Violetta,the daughter of Viola and the Duke of Illyria- butIllyria has become a country torn by war, the Dukehas been killed in the coup led by Sebastian, his

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THE STORY OF

BRITAINFrom William the Conqueror to the discovery of DNA, from Henry VIII to highwaymen, from Saxons to suffragettes, this is the definitive story of the British Isles and all the people, Scottish, Irish, Welsh and English, who have lived in them.

e This modern classic unlocks the history of Britain for a new generation.

e Each chapter includes a timeline and map, and is introduced with lavish illustrations by Kate Greenaway award-winning P.J. Lynch.

“What a delight: a book combining the very best of old-fashioned values with the highest qualities of modern writing, illustration, design and production … The artistic lynch-pin of high-quality information books for young readers is simplifi cation without compromising accuracy, and in both the words and the pictures The Story of Britain is a prime example.” - Chris Brown, Reviews Editor, The School Librarian

www.walker.co.uk

Published by Walker Books October 2010

£18.99 • 352 pages9781406311921

12 to 16beloved Viola long dead. Violetta, the rightful rulerof Illyria, is to be sold into slavery by Sebastian,who is even prepared to kill his own son,Stephano, when he protests against Violetta’sfate. However, the loyal Feste rescues Violetta andthe two travel to England in pursuit of Malvolio,who has become a Jesuit and who has stolen thesacred relic of Illyria. Some deft plotting bringsVioletta and Feste in contact with Shakespeare,still a struggling playwright and the othercharacters from Twelfth Night make cameoappearances. Before Violetta is restored to herposition as ruler and her true love, Stephano,many obstacles must be overcome.

The novel works well as a historical adventurestory. The world of Elizabethan England is re-created with loving attention to detail and theplot is one of absorbing complexity. The book willappeal to teens who enjoy the genre – and ofcourse to all who love Twelfth Night.

Sandra Bennett

Riordan, Rick The Red Pyramid (The KaneChronicles)Puffin, 2010, pp528, £12.99978 0 141 38494 8

As the Percy Jackson booksseem to fly off the shelves inmy library as soon as theyarrive, I haven’t yet had thechance to read any of thefive books in Riordan’s firstseries myself. So when Iheard that he had writtenthe first book in a newseries set in Ancient Egypt, I jumped at the chanceto get in there before my students could beat meto it!

I did wonder at times if the author was writingwith Hollywood in mind as the story begs to bemade into a film with one action packed sceneafter another, a cast of the most amazingcharacters to keep special effects departments inbusiness for years, and a delightful wit thatreminds me of the best of the Indiana Jonesmovies.

Riordan’s genius lies in his ability to weave into awonderful adventure plenty of tantalizing tidbitsof mythology in a way that will leave readerswanting to find out more about the civilizationbehind it. Highly recommended.

Anne-Marie Tarter

Rooney, AnneOff The RailsEvans (Shades), 2010, pp64, £4.99978 0 2375 4134 7

Off The Rails, part of the ‘Shades’ series of quickreads for reluctant teen readers, at only fifty sixpages long incorporates thrilling action, a touch of

romance and introduces a theme of racism in away which doesn’t allow much opportunity tostop reading. Karl and Daniel, two lads who havenot been the best behaved boys in town, becomeinadvertently entwined in a nasty scenario inwhich young migrant workers are beingkidnapped. Spotting a leg sticking out of a roll ofcarpet, they investigate and Karl, himself, iskidnapped as he attempts to help. There is someviolence and aggressive language but, aimed at a13 plus audience of unwilling readers, thisenhances the accessibility and should not bescorned.

Janet Sims

Ryan, CarrieThe Dead-Tossed WavesVictor Gollancz, 2010, pp407, £9.99978 0 575 09089 7

A sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth, thisstory takes place some twenty years later and istold, in the present tense, by Gabry, the daughterof the first book’s heroine. In the openingchapters Gabry and her friends break the strictestof their town’s rules, going beyond the fencewhich keeps out the zombie Mudos. When theyare attacked and several are Infected, a chain ofevents is set in place which sees Gabry and hercompanions trying to escape from both Mudosand the Recruiters, the town’s army/police force.

The novel is at times clumsily written but itsbreathless pace and mixture of teen romance andgruesome horror may appeal to fans of the genre.Gabry is an annoying heroine: she dithers aboutwhich of the two boys, Catcher and Elias, shereally loves, has an unerring ability to do thewrong thing in a crisis, and is totally self-centred -though other teenage girls may identify with this.Horror is a popular genre, so for people who likethis sort of thing, this is the sort of thing they willlike.

Gerry McSourley

Sachar, LouisThe CardturnerBloomsbury, 2010, pp352, £12.99978 1 4088 0850 4

When Alton’s rich, practically blind and usuallyunapproachable uncle requests that he becomeshis ‘cardturner’ and accompanies him to his bridgetournaments, his family see it as a perfectopportunity to try to win the old – and ill – manover, hoping that he will leave them a handsomesum in his will. For Alton it’s just a job – at least atthe beginning – but soon he grows to respect andeven like his eccentric uncle. Surprisingly, he alsostarts to enjoy the game and, finally, it is due tohis new job, his uncle and his newly found passionfor the game that he finds a girl who he not onlyfancies, but who also understands him better thananyone else, especially when Alton experiencessomething too crazy to understand himself.

Admittedly, I had reservations before I startedreading this novel; not knowing and, frankly, notcaring much about bridge, I was instantly biased,especially when I browsed through the book andfound that it had what looked like a number ofvery descriptive paragraphs on how to play it. Allthis changed when I started reading and I mustsay that even the bridge-devoted-chapters keptme hooked: not only do they successfully makethe novel very atmospheric, but they also givesimple and straightforward instructions, which areeasy to follow if you actually wish to learn to playbridge. To be perfectly honest, I felt that Altonseemed very immature and young for hisseventeen years – it was almost as if a thirteen-year-old was suddenly made older to fit with thepracticalities of the story – but this is a minor flawthat doesn’t spoil the book. For some reason,reading The Cardturner reminded me of the firsttime I read Catcher in the Rye, and I hope that itwill become just as successful and popularbecause it really is an extraordinary andwonderfully quirky novel, and one of very fewnon-action, non-fantasy books for boys (althoughgirls will enjoy it, too).

Marzena Currie

Sedgwick, MarcusWhite CrowOrion, 2010, pp278, £9.99978 1 84255 187 5

When Rebecca reluctantlyjoins her policeman fatherfor the summer in theremote and rapidly erodingtown of Winterfold with itsruins and strange history,she finds herself drawn intoa dangerous friendshipwith the enigmatic Ferelith,and soon her strained but

familiar world is beset by uncertainty and menace.What is the truth behind the stories aboutWinterfold Hall and the legend of the eighteenth-century rector and his friendship with themysterious Frenchman, Dr Barrieux? And how dothey connect with Ferelith and her obsession withdeath and the afterlife and the idea of a whitecrow?

This modern gothic thriller is an engrossing readfrom start to finish. Sedgwick weaves his layers ofmystery with great subtlety and his use ofmultiple perspectives, namely those of Ferelith, theeighteenth-century rector and the third personpresent, which might have resulted in a dilution ofnarrative power in the hands of a less skilfulwriter, works well here. The shifts from thetwenty-first century back to the eighteenthcentury occur seamlessly and the reader is led intoa complicated warren of metaphysics, murdermasquerading as the search for truth or science,and psychotic behaviour. At the novel’s heart,though, we have a female friendship in which the



forces of love and hate grapple with equalintensity. This book is not a comfortable read andsome readers may find Sedgwick’s themedisturbing, but it is a compelling tale, and we areswept along by the writer’s dark vision as thestory moves towards its terrifying denouement.

Highly recommended for the school library at bothKS3 and KS4.

Rachel Bowler

Shaw, TuckerAnxious HeartsAmulet, 2010, pp249, £9.99978 0 8109 8718 0

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s long narrativepoem, Evangeline, is an idealised love story set inArcadia where Gabriel falls in love with hischildhood playmate, the very beautiful Evangeline.On the day of their wedding, the lovers areseparated. After many years of searching they areunited again but Gabriel is on his death bed. Thisis the inspiration for Tucker Shaw’s AnxiousHearts. In this novel Shaw re-tells Longfellow’sstory twice. Shaw keeps close to the original withthe romantic characters of Gabriel andEvangeline. Then in alternate chapters she hascreated a modern version with another pair ofteenagers, Eva and Gabe.

While the two stories parallel one another thereare necessary differences, for example Gabriel andEvangeline are separated by an attack on theirvillage while Gabe leaves home and disappears inthe second version. Shaw uses a different style ofwriting for each, very ornate, flowery language forthe older story and rather sparse, plain languagefor Gabe and Eva. The former is really overwrittenwith adjective piled upon adjective and is theweakest part of the book.

Eva and Gabe’s tale leaves several unexplainedissues and the ending is left open but may appealto those with a very romantic outlook.

Audrey Baker

Singleton, SarahThe IslandSimon & Schuster, 2010, pp294, £6.99978 1 84738 296 2

First part of a trilogy, this is a ‘teenage’ novelwhich makes few concessions to its readershipapart from its being about older teenagers whohave just left school. It deals, in passing forinstance, with issues such as one character’sbeing shockingly beaten to make a point aboutpower and then dying from his injuries – noimplausible eleventh hour recovery. And TheIsland is all the better for its casual use of wordssuch as ‘immanent’, ‘precipitously’ and ‘ambled’and the assumption that intelligent young peoplespeak articulately to each other. If you wantdumbing down, look elsewhere.

Otto, Charlotte and Jen are in Goa on their gapyear. Otto arrives at beachside partyland first andfalls for a pretty girl who is then mysteriouslymurdered. By the time Charlotte and Jen arrive itis clear that Otto is a suspect and that there’ssomething very unpleasant going on. Yes it’sdrugs but there are some unusual twists to dowith the water which is sold in the beach bar andthe nearby island which gives the novel its title.

I found The Island quite a page-turner and it isvery strong on complex relations between boysand girls which may or may not be sexual. It isalso a compelling ‘whodunnit.’ AlthoughSingleton promises two more instalments this firstpart works perfectly well as a standalone whoseending is mildly unresolved but satisfactory.There’s no irritating cliff hanger.

Susan Elkin

Suzuma, TabithaForbiddenDefinitions, 2010, pp418, £6.99978 1 862 30816 9

Over the past several years,YA fiction has broken manyboundaries. Drugs, sex,mental illness, murder anddeath have come to seemalmost pedestrian. In thisbook, Tabitha Suzuma,never a writer to shy awayfrom a difficult subject,

tackles what really is, perhaps, the last taboo –consensual sibling incest.

Her central situation, the growing sexualattraction between the protagonists Lochan andMaya, is carefully contextualised in the first thirdof the book. Forced by inadequate and neglectfulparents to become responsible for their youngersiblings, the teenagers have to cope with A-levels,survive at school and manage an increasinglychaotic family life. Unable to ask for help fromsocial services – they believe (probably correctly)that the family will be split up if they do – Lochanand Maya, always close, can rely only on eachother.

Lochan is a convincing character, fiercelyintelligent and passionate but crippled by intenseshyness. He is overwhelmed not only by hisfeelings for Maya but his sense of responsibility tohis younger brothers and sister and this comesthrough clearly in Suzuma’s lyrical and flowingprose.

Maya, I feel, is a less successful character. Thealternate first person narrative is not distinctiveenough and Maya’s voice not strong enough as aseparate character. We do need to hear her sideof the story, but, especially in the middle third ofthe book, it becomes a bit repetitive as she andLochan try to overcome their feelings for oneanother. There is not enough plot to sustain thelength of the book; once the situation has been

established we need to move on to the resolution.

Suzuma excels at portraying the dynamics of thisdamaged family and the reader is immediatelyinvolved and empathetic. We know that whatMaya and Lochan are feeling is wrong but wecan’t help hoping for a happy ending, eventhough we know it is not possible. Thedenouement is expertly handled: from themoment they finally give way to their feelings weare tumbled quickly to the inevitable tragicending. An epilogue manages to restore somehope, but this is still, as it should be, a difficultand challenging novel.

Lesley Martin

Welsh, MelanieMistress of the StormDavid Fickling Books, 2010, pp320, £10.99978 0 385 61766 6

It has to be said thatthis is a very weird tale.It might be described asgenre free though thereare echoes ofsteampunk in the mixingof technologies andtime. Fantasy too,perhaps, but the storiesof old are not myths andnot all that old as they tell of only threegenerations. At times it is a straightforwardadventure though it takes some time to get thereand we should not forget the undertones ofpirates of the Caribbean and just a touch ofvampirism for the reader in need of blood.

Verity Gallant – a true heroine – is bullied atschool and does not get on too well at home,especially after the unexpected arrival of amysterious and power hungry step-grandmother.However, she has two worthy friends, Henry andMartha, who support her through her travails,which are legion. There is also a friendly old lady,Alice, who appears early on and sports an MGtwo-seater but who then goes away to Verity’sconsternation but luckily returns in the nick oftime.

Help – as one might expect – is on hand for ourtrue heroine from the local library. It is run by alady whose name has something of acontemporary ring: Miss Cameron. As Verity,Martha and Henry seem to be almost the onlyreaders one cannot but be anxious about thelibrary’s survival. But, Miss Cameron is a librarianwith more than the usual skills and much arcaneknowledge so our anxieties are probablyunnecessary. This wonderful and sometimeshilarious melee develops into a really excitingdenouement that teeters between success andcatastrophe and the last fifty pages leave thereader breathless and stunned. What more can I say?

Michael Holloway

12 to 16


12 to 16Information

Anniss, MattDJing (Master This)Wayland, 2010, pp32, £12.99978 0 7502 5836 4

Matt Anniss, a professional DJ and writer for DJmagazines, has produced this useful guide in the‘Master This!’ series; in two-page chapters, hecovers what the budding DJ needs to know, fromequipment to mixing to throwing a party andproducing re-edits. Each chapter is amplyillustrated with photographs, and in addition thereare lists of books, websites and DJingorganisations; the book also provides a glossaryand index.

Gerry McSourley

Asso, Bernard and Bergère, FrancisBattle of Britain translated by Luke Spear

Cinebook (www.cinebook.com), 2010, pp46,£5.99978 1 84918 025 2

46 large pages, in comic-book style, cover the Battleof Britain in 1940 and thebombing of Germany from1943 to 1945. The eventsare seen through theactions and decisions of themain personalities on bothsides of the conflict and through the statisticsconcerning aircraft production and losses and thecasualties in the air and on the ground. It doesnot deal with the civilian suffering and theactivities of the rescue services during the Blitz.Excitingly drawn, of course, with briefconversations in speech bubbles and helpfulcommentaries in yellow boxes above manypictures, the book is not entirely a soft option,requiring some concentration to follow the twistsand turns of the events, and it may well have aplace in the secondary school library.

David Churchill

Downs, JonathanThe Industrial RevolutionShire (Living Histories), 2010, pp88, £8.99978 0 74780 781 0

This is a methodical social history of the period. Itgives a thorough account of the life of ordinarypeople living, working and playing during thesocial upheaval that was the Industrial Revolution.Education, health, diet, transport and every otheraspect of daily life is described. The illustrations,many from appropriate contemporary sources addto the comprehensive coverage. I was held,enjoying the chapter on entertainment, as it is a

subject rarely given space in such a book.Travelling fairs, theatre, prize fighting, cricket andof course the many ways of gambling either forthe gentry or the commoner are all described.

I did not find the prose welcoming and it may notdraw in a browsing young person but will rewarda serious minded student. It is always a difficultline to tread between being too serious and riskbeing dull or being too light and risk beingfrivolous. Mr Downs certainly does not make thesecond error. The text is concluded with a list ofplaces to visit – a fine way to bring the subjecttruly to life and much better than the more usuallist of websites, but perhaps we could have beengiven that too.

Nick Hunt

Gifford, CliveThe Who’s Who of... The Cold War Wayland, 2010, pp32, £12.99978 0 7502 5746 6

The Who’s Who of The ColdWar is aimed at KS3 withsmaller font and denser textthan in Wayland’s 32 pagebooks for younger readers.As the series title implies,each double–page is a factfile on an importantindividual of the 20th century; the cover showsCastro. Other names include: Joseph McCarthy,Gary Powers, Ethel Rosenberg as examples. Aphotograph as well as contextual information isincluded and captioned images brighten up whatmight otherwise be overly crowded pages. Thebook includes contents pages, glossary, index,time-line and website recommendations as wellas information about other titles in the series. Ilike these books and just wish that children couldbe persuaded to use some of these super non-web based resources first before galloping off toGoogle!

Janet Sims

Harris, JosephSpace Exploration (The Impact ofScience and Technology)Watts, 2010, pp64, £12.99978 0 7496 9223 0

The series sets out to indicate how the world welive in today has been transformed both positivelyand negatively by recent developments in variousfields of exploration. This specific book deals withthe politics of space, the realities of living inspace, satellites and space probes, space spin-offsand the future of space exploration, space tourismand space elevators. The use of colour illustrationsand the layout of the text lead the reader throughthe story of space exploration very expertly. Thisbook would be a very useful addition to anyschool library.

Anthony Hamilton Jones

Jeffrey, Gary and Riley, Terry Autopsies: Pathologist at Work(Graphic Forensic Science)Watts, 2010, pp48, £12.99978 0 7496 9245 2

Forensic science is used to help solve crimes asphysical evidence is presented in a court of law.The pathologist, the scientist who examines thedead body, is particularly interested in the positionof the corpse, any obvious wounding and anymaterial evidence located on or near the body.The body is then removed to the mortuary wherea more thorough examination, post mortem, iscarried out. This book sets out the proceduresused very succinctly and graphically, so that ayoung reader will understand the informationgiven very easily. The Pennsylvania PoisoningMystery case is illustrated in detail, and otherfamous cases such as the Dead Man’s Grip andthe Black Widow Poisonings are referred to. Abook that will appeal to readers who enjoy themacabre.

Anthony Hamilton Jones

Levete, SarahTalk about Family Break-UpsWayland, 2010, pp48, £12.99978 0 7502 5737 4

I like the open ended, sensible but sensitive,approach of this book very much. It deals, mostinformatively, with an issue that many thousandsof children have to deal with every year. How doyou cope when the adults in your family decide tolive apart?

Levete starts with a chapter on defining familybreak-up, using adult, but accessible, languagewith short sentences and plenty of boxed outpanels with statistics, questions to think about ordiscuss and other information including minicelebrity case studies of people such as BarackObama, Madonna and Britney Spears. Subsequentchapters take the reader through matters such as‘How do people feel in a family break-up?’, ‘Thelaw and family break-up’ and ‘Moving On’.

There is some unequivocal, but gentle, adviceabout not putting up with abuse or allowingyourself to be a used as a pawn in argumentsbetween adults. On almost every page the authortells the reader to talk to others when feelingunhappy. It ends with a helpful glossaryexplaining terms such as ‘sibling’, ‘stereotype’,‘counsellor’ and ‘court’. There’s also a list ofwebsites and helplines.

This book feels pleasant in the hand with its shinypaper and coloured photographs so that it makesan upbeat statement to reinforce the idea thatthis situation is happening to you but that it isn’tyour fault.

I’d put several copies of this book in the library(because I suspect it could be stolen by needystudents not wanting to be seen reading it) and


display it prominently but without fuss. I’d alsohave a copy in the staff room because there’s alot here which could help teachers and otheradults dealing with children who are experiencingfamily break-up.

Susan Elkin

Lyndon, DanAfrica and the Slave Trade (BlackHistory)Watts, 2010, pp44, £13.99978 0 7496 9030 4

Part of the ‘Black History’ series, this bookexplores the history of the transatlantic slavetrade during the 15th to 19th centuries. Theinformation is clearly laid out and well organisedinto double page spreads following the progressof slaves from capture to the slave trading portson the African coasts and across the MiddlePassage, and what life was like for them oncethey arrived in the Americas. However, this sectionfocuses almost exclusively on the sugarplantations of the Caribbean and the SouthernStates with little mention of slavery in othercontexts. An excellent section shows ‘thetriangular trade’ where British ships sailed toAfrica to buy slaves, to America to sell them, andback to Britain with the crops grown on the slaveplantations. Other pages tell of Olaudah Equianowho became one of the leading figures in theabolition campaign, and Mary Prince who gainedher freedom when her owners moved to Britain,where slavery had already been abolished.

Further chapters examine how the African culturewas maintained in slavery, and the legacy ofslavery in Africa today – racism, war, debt andinequality.

The book is illustrated throughout withcontemporary engravings and paintings and otherfeatures include a timeline, a comprehensiveglossary, and suggested websites and books forfurther reading. This would be a very useful bookfor pupils in KS3/4.

Lesley Martin

Madavan, Vijay Cooking the Indian WayLerner, 2009, pp72, £7.99978 0 7613 4395 0

This well illustrated book is a good introduction toIndian cooking and culture. An introductorychapter talks about India, its varied people,traditions and festivals, and the part which foodplays in its culture. A section on spices and howto prepare them is particularly interesting. Afteran introduction to the ingredients and techniquesused in Indian cooking, the recipes are set outfrom starters and snacks to the sweets at the endof a meal, and a couple of menus are suggestedfor a lunch or a vegetarian meal. There are a fewdishes which will be familiar, and some more

unusual ones. Each recipe is clearly set out with adescription of the dish, how it would be served inIndia, and clear instructions including preparationand cooking time and how many people it willserve; however there are photographs of only afew of the finished dishes. An index makes it easyto find a particular dish or ingredient. This book ispart of a wider series on cooking around theworld and would be a very useful addition to anyschool library.

Lesley Martin

Nelson, S. D.Black Elk’s Vision: A Lakota StoryAbrams, 2010, pp48, £12.99978 0 8109 8399 1

Black Elk led an interesting life. Born in 1863 tothe Lakota (Sioux) tribe – who were a feared,nomadic and warrior society – he witnessed thegradual decline of the Native American during hislifetime. The Wha-shi-choos (white men)conquered them by design and accident in whatis now known as the ‘Clash of Cultures’. Thearrogant belief in Manifest Destiny meant thatwhite men saw it as their right to take everythingin their path. They slaughtered an estimated thirtymillion buffalo (essential to the way of life of theNative Americans), leaving fewer than onethousand. Unintentionally, they brought diseasesto which the Indians possessed no immunity.Hundreds of thousands of Native Americans diedfrom measles, smallpox and influenza. Faced withthis situation, Black Elk joined Buffalo Bill’s WildWest Show, spending three years abroad touringEurope. Following the Indian Wars of the 1880s,with the buffalo gone and facing starvation, theNative Americans moved to reservations, wherethe U.S. Government actually issued them withrations. In 1950, Black Elk died on the Pine RidgeReservation in South Dakota.

All this is fact, and serves as an excellentintroduction to the history of the Native Americanpeople in the nineteenth and early twentiethcenturies. In addition, the author tells of (andillustrates) Black Elk’s vision as a nine year-old,when he was summoned to the spirit world. BlackElk shared his vision and intended that histeachings would contribute to the common goodof mankind. Human beings are not privilegedbeings who are above or separate from the world.We are part of the landscape and everything in it;with this awareness comes humility and the giftof harmony. A first-rate book.

Robin Barlow

Oxlade, Chris The Top Ten Inventions ThatChanged the WorldWatts, 2009, pp32, £11.99978 0 7496 9074 8

The inventions chosen are the printing press,steam train, camera, telephone, car, radio,aeroplane, television, microchip and the web.These double spreads are followed by two morespreads headed ‘Best of the rest’ (in case youdon’t agree?) which include the wheel and theboat plus nine others. The usual contents list,glossary and index is accompanied by a reallyuseful timeline (ancient to present) giving theinvention, its influence and other world events toput things in context. Useful mainly for KS3, butcould also be of interest to able KS2 and less ableKS4. As it covers science, technology, history andgeneral interest you might even need two copies.It could also be useful as a source of material forgeneral studies discussion work. There are fourother books in the series covering Events,Inventions, Leaders and Scientific Discoveries.

Delvene A. Barnett

Shone, Rob Ancient Treasures (GraphicDiscoveries)Illustrated by Spender, Nick

Watts, 2009, pp48, £12.99978 0 7496 9237 7

This graphic novel style account of importantarchaeological discoveries is an entertainingapproach to the subject. The first few pages give ashort introduction to archaeology, its history,techniques and procedures is well thought outwith straightforward information on one page andmore detailed labelled pictures and diagrams onthe other. This gives a good understanding ofsome of the modern techniques used such as CATscans and facial reconstruction but those put offby the phrases such as ‘archaeological geophysics’will still glean enough information to knowroughly how a dig proceeds. The remainder of thebook deals with Troy, Tutankhamen and theTerracotta Army in the familiar comic book style,setting the excavations in their historical contextand giving the background story of how theremains came to be there, The illustrations arenothing special but are clearly set out and thecolours are vivid and strong. A final round upshows each site on a world map and hasphotographs of some of the major finds. There is agood glossary of the technical terms used,suggested further reading (all books, nowebsites!) and links to the Museum ofArchaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge andthe British Museum. This would not replace morecomprehensive books on archaeology or ancienttreasures, but might be a good book for morereluctant readers.

Lesley Martin

12 to 16


12 to 16Solway, Andrew Climate Change (World at Risk)Watts, 2010, pp44, £12.99978 0 7496 8811 0

A topical subject covered in six chapters (30pages) giving most of the facts and questionsrelating to the effects that are observable andevidence available. The chapter on effects onwildlife covers the arctic, rainforests, disease (virusand tropical diseases that can spread) and has asmall box headed planet watch giving statisticssimilar to the other chapters. There is a glossary,index and webfinder and a double spread givingsome helpful graphs. A useful book for KS3 to 4both for science and for general studies.

Delvene A. Barnett

Steele, PhilipCampaigners (20th Century Lives)Wayland, 2010, pp32, £11.99978 0 7502 5822 7

This is beautifully presented and inspiring in itscontent. The collection of selected ‘lives’ includesthe predictable Martin Luther King and Ghandibut some who will be less familiar to the pupilsand their teachers who read this book. AbbéPierre started the Emmaus movement to assistpoverty in France and he has been an inspirationto many such equivalent groups but he does notoften attract such notice. His inclusion is a sign ofthe world focus of the book, rather than listingonly those with GB fame. Key facts on each arealongside the descriptive text and each profileends with a legacy section many of which couldand should act as spurs to personal consideration.The book is easily accessible to a KS2 pupil butequally informative to a KS3 and of value in acitizenship lesson even at KS4. Many schools havecharity committees and such a book would bevaluable to ensure that such a committee doesnot always support the same predictable causesbut looks at a wider range of recipients for theirefforts, practical and financial.

Nick Hunt

Thomas, Jeremy and Lewington,RichardThe Butterflies of Britain and IrelandBritish Wildlife Publishing, 2010 edition, pp288, £24.95978 09564902 0 9

The Butterflies of Britain and Ireland waspublished in 1991 by Dorling Kindersley and hasbeen the best, the very best, single volume bookon the subject ever since. Now comes a newedition not only updated but fully revised, largelyre-written and with 100 additional illustrationsfrom Richard Lewington. The paintings are terrificwith accurate colouring and details and theprevious plates now reappear as sharper andclearer on a whiter paper ground than before.Distribution maps are much easier on the eye

than previously and havebeen totally altered toaccommodate informationfrom the multitude oflocalised surveys compiledby ardently dedicatedenthusiasts under theauspices of local Wildlife

Trusts and the organisation ButterflyConservation. To take one species as an example:the silver studded blue has declined drasticallyduring the last century, though there is a largecolony just a mile or so from where I live. The life-cycle, with an extraordinary reliance on ants, isgiven an additional page of revelatory pictures inthis new book as well as the text description.There are also illustrations of the adult onfoodplant species at the heading and at the endof the seven pages of coverage. The text is muchtightened up from the 1991 version even to theextent of revised phraseology so that the former‘the story is a considerably happier one on thewest Surrey heaths’ has now become ‘its status ismuch stronger on the west Surrey heaths’.

Every school, primary as well as secondary, shouldhave at least one copy of this book as a standardreference. It is certainly the easiest and mostaccurate identification guide and although not ofhandy field-use size the instant recordingpracticalities of digital cameras makes for moreleisurely, and often more accurate, classroombased research after outdoor activities. As I saidthe 1991 book has been the best, this 2010edition trumps that achievement magnificently: areview really only needs to say that the best isnow astonishingly improved, a superb book.

Chris Brown

Vaughan, JennyCauses and CampaignsWatts, 2010, pp44, £13.99978 0 7496 8866 0

For our students; the media is simply part andparcel of their lives in the 21st century. They fail torealise that it hasn’t always been this way and,more worryingly, fail to see the power that themedia has over their every move. Literature suchas this allows students to explore many aspects ofthe media and, in this particular book, enablesthem to debate the many issues surroundingmedia campaigns. Vaughan has a simple style toher writing which is informative and, yet,accessible for a wide range of abilities and agegroups. The images are complementary to the textand there is excellent use of recent examples fromthe world of campaigning. Most importantly,Vaughan shows a balanced view of the role of themedia, a balance that is not always seen in themedia! This is a student friendly book whichwould provide many opportunities for debatewithin Media courses, but also within anyCitizenship provision.

Rebecca Carter

Woodward, JohnThe Deep, Deep Ocean (OceansAlive!)Watts, 2010, pp32, £12.99978 0 7496 9269 8

This book will appeal to pupils in the early yearsof junior schooling. The reader is set a mission –to find out what hides in the depths of theoceans. The reader will have to make thedangerous journey into the dark and come backto the surface again safely. Having been wishedgood luck, off the reader goes on a magnificentjourney full of excitement, discovery and incrediblecreatures such as the cookie-cutter shark and thegulper whale. He or she visits the deepest placeon earth, the Challenger Deep in the MarianaTrench nearly 11 kilometres (7 miles) deep, andexplores the shipwrecked Titanic and many otherfascinating objects.

Joan Hamilton Jones

New title fromthe SLA

SLA Survival Guide: Making It Through YourFirst Few Years as a SchoolLibrarian

by Anne-Marie Tarterand Geoff Dubber

The role of schoollibrarian is one of themost exciting,challenging, rewarding andimportant posts in any school. TheseCase Studies outline the combinedwisdom of eleven highly skilled anddetermined librarians who havewide experience of different areas ofteaching and learning and workingin school libraries of various sortsand sizes. All the major aspects ofrunning a library are considered –enjoy it and be inspired by theirparticular stories and advice.

Not just applicable for the newlibrarian, anyone changing jobs orlibraries or just wanting fresh ideaswill find the different perspectivesuseful.

£12.00 (SLA members £9.00) ISBN: 978-1-903446-54-6

Cut out and keep this SLA poster –see overleaf for more samples andvisit www.sla.org.uk/posters for moreposters and resources.

The sunlight of literature can touch heartsand souls. . .

— Michael Morpurgo

Making a difference to learning

Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech

NA

SA

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL LIBRARY DAY

FOR NEW WORLDS TO EXPLORE

visit your school library

©SLA

2008


The Three Rs...

RecreationRelaxation

Reading

� � � � � � ��

� �� !� ��

��

��

��

Outside of a dog, a bookis a man’s best friend. Insideof a dog, it’s too dark to read��

��

��

Reading is like �� for thebrain – get your feet up kids,

and get reading!��

��Librarians

are certainlyone terrorist group youdon’t want tomess withMichael Moore

are almostalways veryhelpful and oftenabsurdlyknowledgeable

Charles Medawar

You see, I don’t believe that libraries should

be drab places where people sit in silence,

and that’s been the main reason for

our policy of employing

wild animalsas librarians

I may not be an

explorer, anadventurer, a treasure-seeker, or a gunfighter, but

I amproud of what I am.I am a

is the ultimateweapon’buffy the Vampire

Slayer’

Monty PythonMonty Python

Monty Python

libra

rian

‘The Mummy’know

ledg

e

librarians

��

“You want weapons?We’re in a library! Books, the bestweapons in theworld. This room’sthe best arsenal we

could have!” (David Tennant in “Doctor Who”)

When in doubt, go to the ��

libraries

©SLA

2007


Imagine

Keep Calm... and view the

full range of downloadable

SLA posters online at

www.sla.org.uk/posters

Citizenship

Beattie, Juli and Warner, ArabellaThe Art RoomFrances Lincoln, 2010, pp38, £11.99978 1 84507 971 0

This is a craft book for the primary age pupilacross the key stages. It uses pieces of classicaland modern art to act as a starting point formany of the activities. This book is an eclectic mixof activities from button snowmen to paper platefaces and puppets out of wooden spoons. Formany children it is a source of inspiration but itwill also provide ideas to teachers for use in theclassroom.

The book starts with lists of equipment, where tofind things and websites that are useful. There isa contents page detailing the 12 projects, but noindex or glossary. The projects are well laid outwith the materials and instructions on the lefthand page and full colour examples on the righthand page. The positive thing about many ofthese projects is that they use everyday itemswhich are easy to source, such as paper platesand white handkerchiefs. However I thinkcovering an old chair or table in used postagestamps is more of a challenge, but notimpossible.

This book is probably more at home as a teacher’sresource and would also find a home in achildren’s library. Whilst the projects arestimulating and fun, I am not sure that they bringany additional originality to the school craftlibrary.

Margaret Pemberton

Chinn, SteveAddressing the UnproductiveClassroom Behaviours of Studentswith Special NeedsJessica Kingsley, 2010, pp142 (A4 withcopiable pages), £19.99978 1 84905 050 0

‘... intervention at the lower levels may wellpre-empt the development of more serious andentrenched behaviours’.

What a helpful book! Steve Chinn has beenworking with children with SEN since 1967 andsurprisingly notes that Aspergers /autisticspectrum disorder was not recognised in the UKuntil 1991. It has taken some time for thisknowledge to filter through to local authoritiesand as I write new facilities are opening up toaddress the needs of these students inmainstream schools. Other main areas of difficultyidentified are: dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and itsvariants, speech and language disorder andphysical disability.

A photocopiable screening test is included whichis valuable as an aid to early identification. This isfollowed by recommendations for the mosteffective strategies for dealing with thesedifficulties including suggestions from pupils.


16 to 19Professional

Religious Studies

Danes, Christopher; Danes,Simon; Lakhani, SeetaPhilosophy of Religion for Today:For GCSE Religious StudiesSt Mark’s Press, 2009, pp158, £14.75978 1 907062 05 6

I was sceptical of a book with no index, noglossary, and very little in the way of textualguides to help the reader find their way aroundsome very dense text. But as RE is not myspecialty I consulted an RE teacher withexperience of teaching both RE and Philosophyof Religion for both GCSE and A level. Shethought it was interesting how the authors hadjuxtaposed traditional Western philosophy ofreligion with the Eastern Hindu approach, butwas concerned that the approach taken wasmore suited to A level than GCSE.

There are no chapter summaries or key points toprovide the necessary content reinforcement forsuch a complicated subject for GCSE students.Instead each chapter finishes with questions forfurther thinking but their level seem to be againto be more geared for A level than GCSE level.

Anne-Marie Tarter

Poetry

Adcock, Fleur Dragon Talk Bloodaxe, 2010, pp64, £7.95978 1 85224 878 9

This short collection of new poetry is the first toappear since the superb Collected Poemspublished by Bloodaxe ten years ago, and canbe regarded as a postscript, fifty poems whichlook back over the poet’s life. The collectionbegins with the title piece, a wryly humorousaccount of the poet wrestling with animpersonal voice recognition machine, the‘Dragon’ of the title, and its insistence on theliteral: ‘Laughter’s not in your vocabulary: all youunderstand are words’, although the symbioticnature of the relationship between poet andmachine is recognised, again with much humourand warmth.

Following this are two sections, prosaicallyentitled ‘My First Twenty Years’ and ‘Next’, thisdirectness being reflected in the spare, concisenature of the poems, which make their impactundramatically and with effectiveunderstatement. We start in a schoolhouse inNew Zealand’s ‘Kuaotunu’ with a variety ofmemories and nods towards their legacies, as in‘the only chocolate I still like’ and the wonderful‘Illiterate’, recalling the impact of learning toread.

We move with the poetto England at the start ofthe Second World Warand her impressions ofplaces such as ‘Sidcup’and ‘Tunbridge WellsGrammar School’, beforea reluctant return to NewZealand in 1947,beautifully caught in‘Signature’ as Adcock, remembering ‘draggingmy feet through the ankle-deep snow’, declaresbaldly ‘I didn’t want to leave’. Dragon Talk,despite being the latest collection, would be anexcellent place to start with Adcock as anaccessible, humorous and rather movingintroduction to her distinctive style.

Frank Startup

Simpson, LouisVoices in the Distance: SelectedPoemsBloodaxe, 2010, pp176, £9.95978 1 85224 861 1

This anthology gathers poems from thirteencollections published between 1955 and 2009,including eight from the Pullitzer Prize-winningAt the End of the Open Road. It isextraordinarily powerful poetry using a variety offorms and styles to explore its themes and makeobservations on contemporary life and Americansociety. One of the many reasons for readingthis is the inclusion of some superb narrativepoetry, a form which has become somewhatneglected lately by serious poets. ‘The Runner’,for example, is a war story, based on fact andset in 1944 about a soldier in the Americanarmy, employing all the conventions of prose,but in poetic cadences which render theincidents described all the more intense: ‘Dayturned to dusk; the truck went jolting on;/Thewind was drumming on the canvas hood/Andprying coldly down the runner’s back’. This couldbe a serious piece of armoury in the longrunning battle to get boys interested in poetry.

The whole collection is peopled by characters inwhose situations and circumstances the poetinvolves us, while topicality is to the fore: thecollapse of banks; the stoning of two adulterersin Iraq; the experiences of a Professor of Englishin American universities. As Seamus Heaney isquoted as saying, ‘His poems win us first bytheir drama, their ways of voicing our ways.’This, with appropriate direction, would be a veryuseful addition to a school or college librarybookshelf.

Frank Startup

Professional


The book concludes with a section on educationaltheories including social competence, learningstyles, self concept and a particularly succinctaccount of Transactional Analysis. Suggestions forfurther reading and a list of related organisationsare also supplied. This highly accessible bookprovides a practical introduction to the complexneeds of a substantial cohort of students forteachers and teaching assistants alike.

Mary Crawford

Horsfield, Karen Making Ends Meet: Planning andManaging the Primary SchoolLibrary Budget SLA (Guidelines), 2010, pp32, £7.50 (£6.00 members)978 1 903446 53 9

Managing the budget ofany library is always likelyto pose a challenge – eitherbecause of the level offunding or because of theexperience of the budgetholder. As libraries inprimary schools becomemore widespread they are not always beingstaffed by trained professionals and as such maybe staffed by those with little experience ofhandling a budget for a library and its particularneeds. A primary school library will also differ inits needs from libraries in other institutionstherefore to have a quick and accessible set ofguidelines to steer the budget holder throughsetting up and maintaining a budget is withoutdoubt a worthy resource.

Starting with an outline of what a budget is andwhy it is necessary – to ensure that there aredefined aims and objectives alongside anevaluation of how to achieve them with theavailable funding – this title then presents amethodology for gaining, maintaining and using abudget. Complete with two case studies, onefrom a Junior School the other from a CommunityPrimary School, and an appendix of sampleprimary school budgets, this guide iscomprehensive without being overwhelming,complex without excluding anyone who (like thisreviewer) does not consider numbers to be theirstrong point!


Jones, Becky and Lewis, ClareLondon Adventure Walks forFamiliesFrances Lincoln, 2010, pp208, £8.99978 0 7112 3067 5

Although it is not obviously a school library book,librarians may well seek an excuse to add thisentertaining, wide ranging and non-expensivepocket sized book to their collections. Certainly,leaders and parents of children over a wide age

range may find varied uses for it. Twenty-fivewalks, from around three to five miles long, aredescribed, some circular but most from one tubestation to another. The walks are themed – somehistorical, as exploring the Great Fire, FlorenceNightingale, the Romans or Kings and Queens,others have such literary bases as Peter Pan,Paddington Bear, Mary Poppins and CharlesDickens. Dockside London is featured as areDulwich Village and its woods and the birds onRainham Marshes. Some of these themes, andothers, are component parts of KS1 and 2. Eachwalk is introduced with a little sketch map, acollection of information, then the walk itself withinteresting details of what is to be seen andlearned, followed by helpful advice on where toeat, where to find information on opening andclosing times and prices, books to read, activitiesto try and wider areas to explore. It is a book thatbegs to be used and must surely find a welcomefrom staff in primary schools in reach of London.

David Churchill

Martin, AndrewBuilding Classroom SuccessesContinuum, 2010, pp223, £16.99978 1 84706 560 5

It is the age old debate of fight or flight and,unfortunately, in today’s classrooms, it is moreoften than not the fight that prevails whenstudents are faced with challenging learningscenarios. With constant media coverage of thediminishing standards in education and in studentbehaviour, practitioners are constantly seekingnew ways to tackle the issues they face on a dayto day basis. Dr Martin has produced here astraightforward and manageable guide to dealingwith a myriad of student issues which are allrooted in self doubt and a lack of confidence.

The content of Dr Martin’s advice is accessible forboth new and experienced teachers and deliversan interesting angle on dealing with issues arisingin the classroom that is focused on dealing withthe reason for the lack of engagement rather thansimply dealing with the behaviour itself. Clearly ifthe students can become motivated and confidentindividuals, the academic results will follow.

Rebecca Carter

Merchant, Ed and Fuller, RachelDad David, Baba Chris and MEBAAF, 2010, pp20, £8.95 (+p&p)978 1 905664 89 4

Published by the British Association for Adoptionand Fostering, this brightly illustrated story book isaimed at children from 5-10 years old andattempts to find a way of explaining the diversityand difference that is reflected in modern-dayfamily groups. Its overriding aim is to encouragean understanding of same-sex parents and theway in which this constitutes a family as much ashaving parents of either sex does, It attempts to

break down barriers and dispel myths borne ofmisunderstanding in a gentle and sensitive way.Ben is nearly eight. He was adopted at the age offour. He lives with his two dads in an ordinaryhouse on an ordinary street. He goes to anordinary school and does ordinary things. Ben isjust as normal as all his friends. Ben however isteased by other children at his school for thesechildren do not understand Ben’s familycircumstances. Ben is helped by his teacher andhis dads to see that what matters is to be caredfor. As his friends begin to see this too, Benbecomes more settled.

With a distinctive illustration style portraying thecharacters in a simple yet real style, this is animportant book for young children who are tryingto understand, or are being taught about, thevarieties of families that can be found in modernsociety. It will be as useful to social workers andchiIdcare professionals as to teachers and parentsfor its gentle and helpful approach to a complexand often misunderstood subject.


Mosley, Jenny Quality Circle Time in the SecondarySchoolLoggerhead Films, 2010, DVD + CDRom + Booklet, £75 + VAT978 1 907 37009 0

Circle Time has long been used as a teachingmethod in primary schools. It may be used insecondary school but is less well known as ateaching and learning tool here. The key focus forthis DVD presentation is its application to PSHEdiscussions. However elements of the method arepromoted as applicable to teaching in general asit fosters an appreciation of the social andemotional aspects of learning, which are likely tobe key to re-engaing disaffected and reluctantstudents.

Quality Circle Time has its roots in businessmanagement staff relations. It is a technique thatteaching staff will need to feel comfortable andconfident to try. Schools which support staffdevelopment through the evaluation of teachingand learning methods may want to experimentand revaluate Circle Time. The DVD serves thepurpose of demonstrating the five skills, steps andground rules for engaging students in the learningprocess and shows how to create a safe forum forgroup discussions.

Wendy Worley

Pennac, DanielSchool BluesTranslated by Sarah Ardizzone

Maclehose Press (Quercus), 2010, pp273, £16.99978 1 906694 64 7

This is one of the wisest books about teaching,teachers and pupils that I’ve ever read. DanielPennac, who is French, was not successful at


school and became adeviant or ‘dunce’ in the1950s and 60s and stolefrom his parents. Heremembers how it felt andwhat saved him: his life-long habit of reading (notthen, recognised as anasset, as he points out)and three inspirationalteachers at the boarding school to which hisparents sent him for a change of direction.Eventually he ‘became’ – a key word in Pennac’sphilosophy – a teacher and best selling author ofthe ‘Belleville Quintet’, including MonsieurMalaussène, and children’s books.

Here he reflects on, and recalls in a compellinglyquirky style reminiscent of a French film, theessence of a good teacher like Mr Bal. ‘The ideathat his students might be unruly had clearlynever crossed his mind.’ He was ‘calm and smiley,a mathematical Buddha’ with a passion forcommunicating his subject. Positive and upbeat,Mr Bal was quite different from most otherteachers who criticised ‘this class’ en bloc, alwaysusing the ‘superlatives of inferiority’ – a typePennac, who can be quite Bunyanesque, calls ‘MrRebuking.’

There are some wonderful tiny nuggets of wisdomhere too. He asserts, for example, that a teacher’skey skill is sleep and that the good teacher goesto bed early. And he argues forcibly that allteachers need a sense of ignorance. You need tobe ‘able to understand how it feels to be theperson who doesn’t know what you know.’ Sadly,most teachers lose this as they grow up andimmerse themselves in specialisms and strengths.

As an English reader and former English teacherI’m also struck, incidentally, by the sophisticatedcomplexity of the formal grammar French schoolstudents are expected to master – as Pennacroams over the dynamics of some of the lessonshe has taught – and I realise what a lot we’velost, over the last 50 years or so, from the Englishcurriculum in this country.

School Blues has sold over a million copies in itsoriginal French edition as Chagrin d’école. Itdeserves to take off in the same way across theEnglish speaking world.

Susan Elkin

Also Received

Amazing Adventures of Mr Wellington Boot is abook of 10 picture stories by Ashley Price aprimary pupil at The Wroxham School, Potters Bar.As an example of creativity these are great, all arefully illustrated and the book has well over 100colour pages and with endorsements byyoungsters as well as Anthony Browne. Years agomany of us tried to make writing meaningful for

children by devising means for their work toreceive an audience beyond the eyes of theteacher-marker with the dripping-red pen. Withduplicating and photocopying there have beenmany ways creating manners of internalpublishing and so this example of what can beachieved is tremendous to see. Most sales will ofcourse be within the school and their communitybut the cost is £6.50, I would suggest addingaround £2.00 for P&P: order from MargaretO’Donnell, Bursar, The Wroxham School, WroxhamGardens, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, EN6 3DJ.

Puffin By Design by Phil Baines is a full colourjacketed book paying tribute to 70 years of theevolution of the look of Puffin Books. The sub-titleof ’70 Years of Imagination’ says it all really. Thetext is informative with a multitude of detailsabout authors and illustrators as well as thegeneral progress in the developments inpublishing books for children: Penguin / AllenLane, £20.00, 978 0 141 32614 6: with heavyquality paper and terrific print this is animpressive production, a paperback of course!

A couple more spoken word CD sets of un-abridged readings of books come from CSA Word.The imaginatively cast Sanjeer Bhaskar is thereader for Kipling’s Kim and a terrificallyappropriate reader he is too turning this early lastcentury text into a lively and immediateadventure. A four-page fold-out information sheetadds to the usefulness of a recording bringing thisclassic to life: 6 CDs, 7 hrs, £19.99 inc VAT, 978190614 759 4. Stevenson’s The Strange Case ofDr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is magnificently read, as isto be expected from the reliable Ian Holm: 2 CDs,2.5 hrs, £12.99 inc VAT, 978 190614 763 1.

It is good to welcome back books from O’Brien,the Dublin publisher who originally brought anumber of writers to prominence including EoinColfer and Oisin McGann. I used to receive, andencourage, O’Brien books for review regularly butthey appeared to have a problem with UKdistribution arrangements for a while. Now thosewonderful and enterprising people at FrancesLincoln have added this publisher to their rosterand their catalogue to enable ready availability inthe UK. O’Brien have sent a few of their booksfrom the recent past: a hardback full-colour bookof Best-Loved Irish Legends, by Eithne Massey,has seven straightforward retellings of stories it isgood to read aloud; £10.99, 978 1 84717 137 5.For older primary age readers Alice to the Rescueby Judi Curtin is a story of friendship, loyalty and amissing pet. The fact that this is the seventh bookof a series about Alice and Megan shows thesuccess of these books which all feature brightlyattractive, with novelty cut-out, covers; £6.99, 9781 84717 175 7. For secondary readers comes aseries from different writers but linked by a themeof ‘journals’. Diamond Star Girl by Judy May alsofollows up this author’s previous novels with astory involving the excitements when a film setvisits the town; £6.99, 978 1 84717 090 3.

Index of Advertisers

2 CQR 171Andersen Press 163BBC Audiobooks 167D-Skin 151D-Tech 177Famous Books Bollywood Series 177Hodder inside back coverIS Oxford inside front coverLFC 159Hawkwood Books 157Lion Hudson 157Listening Books 181Little Tiger Press 151Meadowside Books 171Micro Librarian Systems 145Pickabook 157Raintree 167Softlink outside back coverTemplar Publishing 159Walker Books 181

ProfessionalAvailableagain from the SLA

Start With the Youngest:The Library for Nursery andInfant Children

Now back in print, ourrecent title, written byan experiencedschools’ library servicemanager.

It is vitally important tointroduce and familiarise ouryoungest children in nurseries andinfant schools to the world of books,reading and libraries. This Guidelinegives practical advice on how to setup and run a library for the youngestchildren.

Full of practical ideas, it discussespossible locations, furnishings,policies, use and much more.

This Guideline also includes twocase studies – one with a readerdevelopment focus and the otheroutlining some work carried out witha top infant class who were usingthe library for topic research.

This compact text is competitivelypriced in our new ‘Guidelines Mini’series.

£6.00 (£5.00 to SLA members)

ISBN: 978-1-903446-51-5


Index of books reviewedA Adcock, Fleur – Dragon Talk 189Anniss, Matt – DJing (Master This) 184Ardagh, Philip – Knights and Castles 169Asso, Bernard and Bergère, Francis –

Battle of Britain 184Augarde, Steve – X Isle 173B Barker, Dominic – Sharp Returns (Mickey Sharp) 173Barker, Dominic – Adam and the Arkonauts 161Barlow, Steve and Skidmore, Steve –

Return to the Lost World 161Barraclough, Sue – Be An Eco Hero At Home 169Beardsley, Martyn – Black Death 161Beattie, Juli and Warner, Arabella – The Art Room 189Bell, Alex – Lex Trent Versus The Gods 173Bergman, Mara, and Thomas, Cassia – Lively

Elizabeth! 153Binch, Caroline – Road Horse 161Bingham, Jane – Henry VIII (Extraordinary Lives) 169Black, Holly – White Cat 173Boothroyd, Jennifer – What is Taste? 153Brashares, Ann – The Summer that Changed

Everything 174Braun, Sebastien – The Ugly Duckling 153Brown, Kate – The Spider Moon Book 1 161Browne, Anthony – Me and You 153Bush, Penelope – Alice in Time 174C Carrington, Jim – Inside My Head 174Chinn, Steve – Addressing the Unproductive

Classroom Behaviours of Students with Special Needs 189

Conway, David and Angaramo, Roberta – Errol and his Extraordinary Nose 153

Cotterill, Jo – Star Crossed 174Crossley, Sheena – Bats about Wales 162D Danes, Christopher; Danes, Simon; Lakhani, Seeta –

Philosophy of Religion for Today: For GCSE Religious Studies 189

Dashner, James – The Maze Runner 175Davies, Corinne – Ralph is (not) a Superhero 162De Goldi, Kate – The 10pm Question 175Deary, Terry – Put Out the Light 162Deas, Stephen – The Thief-Taker’s Apprentice 175Downs, Jonathan – The Industrial Revolution 184Doyle, Malachy – The Lambton Curse 162Duncan, Charlie – Gastronimus and the Legend

of Mr Grrrrumblebum 162E Elliott, Rebecca – Just Because 153F Faundez, Anne and Littlewood, Karin – The Day the

Rains Fell 153Fisher, Catherine – Crown of Acorns 176Forward, Toby – Dragonborn (The Flaxfield Quartet)162Fromental, Jean-Luc and Jolivet, Joelle – Oops! 154Fuge, Charles and Conway, David – Bedtime

Hullabaloo! 154G Gifford, Clive – The Who’s Who of... The Cold War 184Gleitzman, Morris – Now 164Gourlay, Candy – Tall Story 164Grant, Helen – The Glass Demon 176Green, Jen – Cities (The Geography Detective

Investigates) 169Green, John – Paper Towns 176Grisham, John – Theodore Boone: Young Lawyer 176Guarnaccia, Steven – The Three Little Pigs:

An Architectural Tale 164H Hadithi, Mwenye and Kennaway, Adrienne –

Bumping Buffalo 154Han, Jenny – The Summer I Turned Pretty 176Hanbury-Murphy, Trudy – Solving the Mysteries of

Ancient Rome 169Harland, Richard – Worldshaker 178

Harris, Joseph – Space Exploration (The Impact ofScience and Technology) 184

Harrison, Cora – The Montgomery Murder 164Helmore, Jim and Wall, Karen – Hold on Tight,

Stripy Horse! 154Hodgkinson, Jo – The Talent Show 154Hodgson, Karen and Collins, Ross –

Hugh’s Blue Day 154Hodgson, Karen and Lambert, Sally Anne –

The Teeny-Weeny Walking Stick 154Hodgson, Karen and Madalina, Dina –

The Robot Who Couldn’t Cry 154Hoffman, Mary and Asquith, Ros – The Great

Big Book of Families 155Hooper, Mary – Fallen Grace 178Hopkins, Cathy – Million Dollar Mates 174Horsfield, Karen – Making Ends Meet: Planning and

Managing the Primary School Library Budget 190Hudson, Cheryl Willis and Velasquez, Eric –

My Friend Maya Loves To Dance 155Hughes, Shirley – Don’t Want To Go! 155I Ibbotson, Eva – The Ogre of Oglefort 165Ignatow, Amy – The Popularity Papers:

Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang 165

J Jago, Lucy – Montacute House 178Jeffrey, Gary and Riley, Terry – Autopsies:

Pathologist at Work (Graphic Forensic Science) 184Jennings, Terry – Earthquakes and Tsunamis

(Amazing Planet Earth) 169Johnson, Pete – The Vampire Blog 165Jones, Becky and Lewis, Clare –

London Adventure Walks for Families 190Jones, Lis and Coplestone, Jim – A Walk in the

Wild Woods 155K Kemp, Anna and Ogilvie, Sara – Dogs Don’t

Do Ballet 155King, Caro – Shadow Spell 166Kramer, Ann – Secret War (Taking Part in the

Second World War) 170Krebs, Laurie and Wilson, Anne – We’re Roaming

in the Rainforest 155L Lanagan, Margo – White Time 179Landman, Tanya – The Scent of Blood 166Lane, Andrew – Young Sherlock Holmes:

Death Cloud 166Levete, Sarah – Talk about Family Break-Ups 184Lewin, Ted and Betsy – Balarama:

A Royal Elephant 170Limb, Sue – Girl 16, Five Star Fiasco 174Lo, Malinda – Ash 179Lord, Gabrielle – Conspiracy 365 Book 6 June 179Lynch Williams, Carol – The Chosen One 179Lyndon, Dan – Africa and the Slave Trade (Black

History) 185M MacDonald, Alan – Oi, Caveboy! (Iggy the Urk) 166Mackintosh, Samantha – Kisses for Lula 180Madavan, Vijay – Cooking the Indian Way 185Malley, Gemma – The Returners 180Manham, Allan and Dann, Penny –

The Giant Carrot 156Manning, Mick, and Brita Granström –

My Uncle’s Dunkirk 170Martin, Andrew – Building Classroom Successes 190McAllister, Angela and Smith, Alex T. –

My Mum Has X-ray Vision 156McKee, David – Denver 156McKirdy, Alan and Moira –

Scottish Rocks and Fossils 170Merchant, Ed and Fuller, Rachel – Dad David,

Baba Chris and ME 190Mitton, Tony, and Warburton, Sarah –

Sir Laughalot 166

Mlynowski, Sarah – Gimme a Call 174Montanari, Eva – The Alphabet Family 156Morpurgo, Michael – An Elephant in the Garden 168Mosley, Jenny – Quality Circle Time in the

Secondary School 190Murphy, Glenn – Evolution, Nature and Stuff 172Murphy, Glenn – Space, Black Holes and Stuff 172Murray, Alison – Apple Pie ABC 158Myron, Vicki and Witter, Bret with James, Steve –

Dewey: There’s a Cat in the Library! 158N Naidoo, Beverley and Das, Prodeepta –

S is for South Africa 158Nelson, S. D. – Black Elk’s Vision: A Lakota Story 185Ness, Patrick – Monsters of Men 180Newton, Jill – Crash Bang Donkey! 158Nichols, Grace – I Have Crossed an Ocean:

Selected Poems 173Nicholson, William – Rich and Mad 180O Oxlade, Chris – The Top Ten Inventions That

Changed the World 185P Parker, Steve – Planet Earth 172Pennac, Daniel – School Blues 190Plaja, Luisa – Swapped by a Kiss 174R Rayner, Catherine – Norris: The Bear Who Shared 158Rees, Celia – The Fool’s Girl 180Rickards, Lynne and Wildish, Lee –

Jacob O’Reilly Wants a Pet 160Riordan, Rick – The Red Pyramid

(The Kane Chronicles) 182Rogers, Gregory – The Hero of Little Street 168Rooney, Anne – Off The Rails 182Ryan, Carrie – The Dead-Tossed Waves 182S Sachar, Louis – The Cardturner 182Sedgwick, Marcus – White Crow 182Shaw, Tucker – Anxious Hearts 183Shone, Rob – Ancient Treasures

(Graphic Discoveries) 185Simpson, Louis – Voices in the Distance:

Selected Poems 189Singleton, Sarah – The Island 183Smiley, Jane – Nobody’s Horse 168Solway, Andrew – Climate Change (World at Risk) 186Sonneborn, Liz – The Egyptians:

Life in Ancient Egypt 172Souhami, Jessica – The Sticky Doll Trap 160Sparkes, Ali – Wishful Thinking 168St John, Lauren – Dead Man’s Cove 168Stainton, Keris – Della says: OMG! 174Stanley, Malaika Rose and Wilson-Max, Ken –

Baby Ruby Bawled 160Steele, Philip – Campaigners (20th Century Lives) 186Stewart, Joel – Dexter Bexley and the Big Blue

Beastie on the Road 160Suzuma, Tabitha – Forbidden 183T Taplin, Sam – The Usborne Official Pharaoh’s

Handbook 172Thielbar, Melinda and Helmer, Der-Shing –

The Kung Fu Puzzle 172Thomas, Jeremy and Lewington, Richard – The

Butterflies of Britain and Ireland 186V Vaughan, Jenny – Causes and Campaigns 186Vaughan, William – Gold Hunter 168W Walton, Ruth – Let’s Bake a Cake (Let’s Find Out) 160Welsh, C. E. L. and Singh, Lalit Kumar –

Harry Houdini 172Welsh, Melanie – Mistress of the Storm 183Wilson, Jacqueline – Little Darlings 169Wood, Douglas and Pham, LeUyen –

Aunt Mary’s Rose 160Woodward, John – The Deep, Deep Ocean

(Oceans Alive!) 186

DAVID ALMOND2010 HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN AWARD WINNER,TWICE WHITBREAD CHILDREN’S AWARD WINNER AND CARNEGIE MEDAL WINNER

www.hodderchildrens.co.uk

‘My name is Mina is fantastic – wittyand wistful, engaging and entertaining.

I loved it.’ JONATHAN DOUGLAS

For a sneak peek of the first chapter visit

www.davidalmond.com

978 0 340 99725 3 £12.99 HB

THE PREQUEL TO ‘ONE OF THE BEST NOVELSOF THE LAST DECADE.’ NICK HORNBY

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